The King Power Club are in a disastrous position. Having the highest wages in the division, while struggling to construct consistent form, the Foxes sit in a relegation battle they were not expecting - or expected - to be in. In this light, their dance with Birmingham City will offer a critical chance for Leicester to develop and get some points on the board.
Leicester City will face Birmingham at St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park on 07/02/26 at 3:01 pm, being led temporarily by club legend Andy King. After the abysmal result of the previous match (0-2 loss to Charlton Athletic), 'Kingy' will hope to set things right against one of our Midlands rivals. The match has not been selected to be broadcast live in the UK; the match will be available on LCFC TV instead.
Birmingham City v Leicester City: Injuries and Predictions
King's squad has been diminished by injuries and suspensions, but then bolstered by the recent additions of four new incomings. Undoubtedly, the Foxes will see their new signings on the pitch, although perhaps not all of them from the get-go.
Regarding absences, Jannik Vestergaard remains a doubt for the Birmingham City match, but could be available. I would not count on it, though. Otherwise, Hamza Choudhury - who has been an important rotation option - is unavailable through injury for the rest of February. Oliver Skipp is expected to return for the fixture after a period of recovery. Caleb Okoli is unavailable due to a silly red card.
With a defender, two midfielders, and a striker transferred in, we can at least cover for Choudhury, Vestergaard, and Okoli, while having a new option upfront, should King decide the King Power could benefit from fresh legs and a youthful talent over Patson Daka and Jordan Ayew.
My predicted XI is not too dissimilar to that which faced Charlton Athletic: Jakub Stolarczyk, Luke Thomas, Jamaal Lascelles, Ben Nelson, Ricardo Pereira, Oliver Skipp, Harry Winks, Joe Aribo, Stephy Mavididi, Jordan Ayew, and Abdul Fatawu. A classic 4-3-3 set up with Pereira doing his usual to come into the DM position alongside Skipp, with Winks and Aribo taking the roles of progression and creation.
Regarding the result, I would argue we are in for either a further rude awakening or Leicester City will perform better. However, the statistics are bleak for any possible turnaround, with the only possible benefit being that at least the King Power side is not going to be hearing the entire stadium of supporters jeering for the heads of a team gone miles astray from expectations.
Overall, per 90, Leicester score 1.3 goals while conceding 1.47 to their opponents. Birmingham scores more (1.33G/90) and concedes less (1.17G/90). We can expect the East Midlands Outfit to score against Birmingham, but we can only expect one measly goal, whereas we are likely to concede twice, realistically. This is, unless Lascelles somehow revolutionises our defensive structure, and the return of Skipp brings back a little more gusto in tracking back.
I expect a 1-2 loss or a 2-1 win, depending on whether our new signings hit the ground running and perform well, or if King's squad decides to display the usual lethargy and incompetence they usually portray. Regardless, I hope to see ouron-loann Divine Mukasa and Dujuan Richards during the tie, as well as a few of our strong young talents (such as Olabade Aluko).