Leeds United are back in action in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday when they travel to St Andrew’s to take on Championship side Birmingham City.
Leeds progressed in the competition after having dispatched another Championship outfit in the third round, with a comfortable 3-1 win against Derby, seeing the Whites through to the next round.
Daniel Farke does not appear to be taking the upcoming tie with Birmingham lightly, however, with the German stating in his press conference that he may not have to rotate too much in an admission that is sure to upset fringe players like Facundo Buonanotte.
Birmingham manager Chris Davies also had his say on the upcoming game, with the Welsh manager previewing the tough test that United are expected to present his side.
‘This is a particularly special one…’ – Chris Davies waxes lyrical about Leeds ahead of FA Cup meeting
With Leeds’ recent form in the Premier League convincing the likes of Gary Neville that they will stay up, United will be aware that they have a real opportunity to put together a decent cup run, especially when you consider the fact that they are set to come up against another Championship side.
Speaking at his pre-game press conference, Davies had this to say when asked about the prospect of facing Leeds.
“This is a particularly special one, because we’re playing against Premier League opposition at our stadium, and we get to test ourselves and measure ourselves against a Premier League team. I know it’s going to be quicker, the game, we have to be ready for that. We can really look forward to it.
“We’ve got a team in Leeds who I’ve been watching closely and have enjoyed watching closely in the last week because I think they’ve really held their own in the Premier League this season, they’re bucking that trend by the looks of it of teams going up and coming straight back down, there’s a lot be said for that.”
Davies continued: “I think they are a very well-organised outfit, but they’ve been holding their own in games. I watched the Chelsea game in detail and the Everton game. I watched that when it was on TV. They’re a very good team.”
Data suggests that Leeds are heavy favourites against Birmingham
The Whites are in exceptional form going into their FA Cup matchup, picking up eight points from their last five outings in the Premier League, with their only defeat coming against Arsenal.
Unsurprisingly, Opta’s supercomputer has made Leeds the favourites against Birmingham prior to the teams’ meeting on Sunday.
- Leeds have been given a 55.7% chance of winning and progressing to the next round
- The hosts, Birmingham, have been given a 22.2% chance of causing an upset
- The chances of a draw between the two sides are said to be 22.1%
Given the gulf in class on paper between the two sides, Farke may feel as though it is suitable to revert to a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation and use the game to allow some of his forward players, who have not received many minutes of late, to showcase their talents.
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