Birmingham City will host Colchester United in the first round of the EFL Cup on Tuesday looking to pick up consecutive victories after defeating Sheffield United on the opening day of the Championship season.
The League Two team will play their second competitive game of the season at St Andrew's, competing against the Blues for the first time since 2007.
Match preview
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Colchester United head into this game on the back of a 0-0 draw in their opening fixture of the season where Hayden Mullins's men battled against Carlisle United in a game that featured the debuts of several new faces.
The U's narrowly avoided relegation in 2020-21 by finishing in 20th place, and Mullins will be looking for a much stronger run in his first full season in charge of the club.
The Colchester boss took over as interim manager at the end of May and managed to help keep them in the Football League with an impressive run of form.
However, Colchester have not had the greatest preparation due to a difficult pre-season campaign which saw the team fail to pick up a single victory, with three draws and as many defeats.
Despite that, Colchester have a fond history in the EFL Cup and the club have proven themselves to be giant killers in the past, having reached the quarter-final during the 2019-20 tournament, knocking out Tottenham Hotspur along the way.
Colchester were also drawn against Championship opposition in the first round of the competition last season, in a game that Reading won 3-1 at the Madejski Stadium.
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Birmingham and Colchester have only met five times in their history and the U's have never been able to pick up a victory, with the two sides having drawn twice, while the Blues have won on three occasions.
That is something that Lee Bowyer will be looking to continue, especially considering Birmingham's history in this competition, having lifted the trophy back in 2011 after defeating Arsenal in the final.
Bowyer transformed the club last season, helping to guide them away from relegation, just as his counterpart in the Colchester dugout did, after taking over in March to help Birmingham finish 18th in the league.
The Blues had a difficult test to kick off the new season as well, travelling to Bramall Lane to face former Premier League side Sheffield United, but a goal from Maxime Colin secured a 1-0 win against one of the favourites for promotion, despite only having 24% possession throughout the game.
Bowyer's squad will now be aiming to continue that run of form and improve upon their first-round exit in the EFL Cup last season at the hands of Cambridge United.
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Team News
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Lee Bowyer has brought in several new faces during the transfer market with the likes of Dion Sanderson and Tahith Chong joining on loan from Premier League clubs, while Ryan Woods and Chuks Aneke were also signed on permanent contracts.
Both Chong and Woods shone against Sheffield United and can be expected to retain their places in the starting lineup, while Aneke could be in contention to be given some minutes after not being used in the league opener.
One name that Birmingham City will likely be without is Neil Etheridge due to coronavirus, and with the goalkeeper still recovering Matija Sarkic is set to keep his spot in the team.
Bowyer may also use this cup fixture as a chance to give more minutes to Ivan Sunjic, who appeared from the bench against Sheffield United as he continues to regain his fitness after missing part of pre-season due to injury.
Colchester have also strengthened this summer, and Cole Skuse walked straight into the starting lineup against Carlisle, impressing in the middle of the park which is a position he will likely take up against Birmingham.
This game could also mark the opportunity for Jake Turner to make his debut for the club after joining the U's on loan until January from Premier League side Newcastle United.
Birmingham City possible starting lineup:
Sarkic; Roberts, Dean, Pedersen; Colin, Sunjic, Woods, Chong, Bela; Hogan, Aneke
Colchester United possible starting lineup:
Turner; Eastman, Chambers, Smith; Clampin, Judge, Skuse, Sarpong-Wiredu, Coxe; Nouble, Sears
We say: Birmingham City 2-0 Colchester United
Birmingham City are the obvious favourites heading into this game due to the fact they are two divisions higher than their opponents, and after such an impressive start to the season the momentum will certainly be with them.
While Colchester United can certainly provide a stern test for the Blues, Lee Bowyer's men should have a little too much quality to be knocked out at this stage.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Colchester United win with a probability of 39.11%. A win for Birmingham City had a probability of 32.12% and a draw had a probability of 28.8%.
The most likely scoreline for a Colchester United win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.71%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (7.9%) and 0-2 (7.54%). The likeliest Birmingham City win was 1-0 (11.21%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.31%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with an 11.2% likelihood.
