Tonight, Fulham FC will be up against Birmingham City in the second round of the EFL Cup for a slobber knocker of a match. The thorns from their decent run at the start of the season 2024/25, thus, will be savored as Fulham slides past opponents to book a place into the next round. That means Birmingham City will be looking to cause an upset against a Premier League side away from home, which could certainly set up a thriller down at Craven Cottage.
Starting XI of Fulham FC
Marco Silva has named a strong Fulham FC side ahead of tonight’s friendly, blending experience with some newer faces. There is a real buzz in a Fulham FC side that includes Steven Benda, Timothy Castagne, Calvin Bassey, Jorge Cuenca, Ryan Sessègnon, Harrison Reed, Tom Cairney, Alex Iwobi, Andreas Pereira, Adama Traoré, and Raúl Jiménez.
Iwobi and Raúl Jiménez are on par with them, intentional participants who hope to take Fulham FC deep into this competition. Iwobi is fresh from a recent Premier League win against Leicester City and will hope to be one of those who unlock the defense at Birmingham City. Meanwhile, Raúl Jiménez, signed in 2023 to replace Aleksandar Mitrović, will lead the attack in search of his eighth goal for the club.
Fulham FC’s Record & Form For EFL Cup
Fulham comes here off a much-needed EPL league win against Leicester City by a 2-1 scoreline, allowing them to take the first maximum of the three points this season through goals from Emile Smith Rowe and Alex Iwobi. Besides, they have quite a decent past when it comes to playing head-to-head games.
Over the last few years, Fulham FC has used the EFL Cup to discover new talents and rotate their squad. Last season, they reached the fourth round before bowing out in a dramatic penalty shootout against Tottenham Hotspur. The furthest they have ever gotten in the competition was a finals appearance in 1974/75 – though they lost, being runners-up to eventual winners Aston Villa. The flip side of that is with a half-decent squad and home advantage, Fulham FC would at least hope for an improvement on last season’s run.
Birmingham City: A Challenge for Fulham
Birmingham City play in the EFL Championship and, like Northampton Town, are another side looking to record a giant-killing. The club has, historically, turned over plenty of Premier League sides in cup competitions. They hold some great EFL Cup traditions and were the winners of the competition back in 2011 at the expense of Arsenal. They will come into this game with nothing to lose in being a dangerous opponent for Fulham.
Despite being positioned mid-table in the Championship standings at the moment, Birmingham City started the domestic campaign rather positively. They would want their key attackers, Emil Hansson, Keshi Anderson, William Williamson, and Lukas Jutkiewicz to give Fulham FC’s backline a run for it – especially Steven Benda, the goalkeeper who will wish to prove himself in this game.
These two clubs have come together several times in league and cup competitions. The last time was during the 2021/22 Championship season, where FulhamFC ran 6-2 winners at Craven Cottage. However, although Fulham FC usually tends to have the upper hand in recent encounters, Birmingham showed solidity in cup competitions that will not go down the drain
Final Thoughts
In one more EFL Cup clash, Fulham FC is due to take on Birmingham City tonight, with both looking to book a place in round three. With a decent lineup and riding high on the momentum of their recent Premier League triumph, Fulham FC are favorites, though Birmingham City will be stiff due to their rich history in this competition. This will mean the preparation for something a little nerve-wracking but still attractive to watch, as these teams go far in such a top competition. Birmingham City will take on Fulham FC at St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park, Birmingham, England by 3 p.m EST.
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