After both drawing in the opening round of Championship matches last weekend, Birmingham City and Leeds United meet at St Andrews on Saturday as they each aim to put a first victory of the new season on the board.
The Blues kicked off their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Swansea City last Saturday, while the visiting side held Cardiff City in dramatic fashion at Elland Road following their relegation back to England's second tier.
Match preview
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Birmingham City headed into the 2023-24 season - their second full campaign under the management of John Eustace - with a degree of optimism in the camp, following a busy summer and their 17th-placed finish last time around, having amassed 53 points from 46 Championship outings.
After their pre-season preparations culminated in victories over Cartagena, Northampton Town and Cheltenham Town and a defeat to Peterborough United, the Blues kicked off their 13th consecutive campaign in England's second tier away at Swansea City last Saturday, and they went ahead on the stroke of half time thanks to Siriki Dembele's debut goal.
The Midlands outfit would eventually have to settle for a point, as Jerry Yates levelled for their hosts 14 minutes from time, and on the back of a creditable result in South Wales, they then travelled to Cheltenham Town in the first round of the EFL Cup on Tuesday.
Juninho Bacuna put Eustace's side in the ascendancy in the first half, netting goals in the 24th and 32nd minutes, and that brace would prove decisive as they advanced courtesy of a 2-0 victory over their third-tier hosts.
Likely encouraged by their start to the new term, Birmingham City will now hope to build on that and add a first league victory of the season on Saturday, in their first competitive outing at St Andrews this campaign.
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Their visitors will travel to the Midlands also looking for a first league win of the campaign, following their drop from the Premier League last time around, having also enjoyed cup success in midweek.
In their third successive season in the top flight, the Whites were unable to avoid the drop, eventually finishing 19th under the temporary management of Sam Allardyce with just 31 points on the board, before the hierarchy turned to Daniel Farke to lead them into the new campaign with the aim of making a quick return to the Premier League.
After finishing their build up with friendly wins over Nottingham Forest and Hearts, Leeds' Championship campaign began at home to Cardiff City, and they endured a tough start as the visitors took a two-goal lead into the interval through Josh Bowler and Ike Ugbo, but Liam Cooper would pull one back early in the second half, before Crysencio Summerville earned a point for the Whites in dramatic fashion with a 95th-minute leveller.
Farke's men then played host to Shrewsbury Town in their EFL Cup first-round tie on Wednesday, and after again going behind following Taylor Perry's 28th-minute goal, they would turn the game around in the second half as Joe Gelhardt equalised in the 52nd minute and Pascal Struijk netted the winner around the hour mark to book their place in the next round.
Perhaps on a high from their late leveller last weekend, but certainly disappointed not to have taken all three points, Leeds United will now be keen to build on their opening two outings and score a first league victory of the season on Saturday when they travel to St Andrews.
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Team News
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John Eustace rotated his Birmingham City squad heavily between the league curtain-raiser and their EFL Cup tie on Tuesday, and he should revert to a similar starting XI to the one that featured on Saturday, although Juninho Bacuna certainly has a claim to feature in midfield after his brace against Cheltenham, while Koji Miyoshi also impressed in his first start for the Blues.
Kevin Long and Dion Sanderson were mainstays throughout both of those matches and will again partner up at the heart of a back four, while John Ruddy was preferred over Neil Etheridge between the sticks against Swansea and should reclaim his position this weekend.
Bacuna could come in to partner Krystian Bielik in the engine room, while Scott Hogan should return to lead the line with support from the likes of Tyler Roberts and Siriki Dembele, after their summer arrivals from Leeds United and Bournemouth, with the latter opening his account for the club on his debut at Swansea.
Leeds United went into their curtain-raiser against Cardiff City with plenty of selection concerns, as attackers Patrick Bamford, Georginio Rutter and Jack Harrison were sidelined by injuries alongside Tyler Adams, Stuart Dallas and Junior Firpo, on top of the summer departures of the likes of Rasmus Kristensen, Max Wober, Robin Koch, Diego Llorente, Marc Roca and Brenden Aaronson.
Those worries have only worsened for Farke, with key centre-back and captain Liam Cooper now ruled out through injury after heading in their first goal last weekend, while Crysencio Summerville has also sustained an injury, with Adams now looking set to depart for Chelsea and forward Wilfried Gnonto linked with a move away from the club after missing their EFL Cup tie with Shrewsbury.
In Cooper's absence, Charlie Cresswell should again partner up with Pascal Struijk in the middle of the defence, while 17-year-old Archie Gray will again join new signing Ethan Ampadu in midfield, behind an attack which could consist of Daniel James, Luis Sinisterra, Ian Poveda and Joe Gelhardt following the recent selection developments.
Birmingham City possible starting lineup:
Ruddy; Laird, Sanderson, Long, Buchanan; Bacuna, Bielik; Roberts, Anderson, Dembele; Hogan
Leeds United possible starting lineup:
Meslier; Ayling, Cresswell, Struijk, Hjelde; Gray, Ampadu; Poveda, Sinisterra, James; Gelhardt
We say: Birmingham City 1-1 Leeds United
Leeds United do still have plenty of quality in their squad, but mood in the camp may have taken a big hit, and playing with a weakened side away at a Birmingham City team who are full of optimism with a new-look XI, we do not see the newly-relegated side taking all three points and instead opt for a share of the spoils.
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Top tip
Sam Varley
