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Birmingham City head out on the road this Saturday with a short trip to Northampton Town in League One.
Blues can move one step closer to promotion back to the Championship with a victory on a crucial weekend during which nearest challengers Wycombe Wanderers and Wrexham AFC play one another.
Chris Davies’ men haven’t won either of their last two away matches - a 0-0 draw at Reading and a disappointing 3-1 defeat at Bolton Wanderers - so a response is required if the lead at the summit of League One is to be extended.
Opponents Northampton, who claimed a last-ditch draw at St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park with a 96th-minute equaliser earlier this season, won’t be easy to beat. The Cobblers may be 19th in the table but they’re in terrific form with just two defeats in their last seven league matches.
Former West Ham United man Kevin Nolan has made a superb impact as Northampton’s new head coach and he’ll be determined to make a statement with a positive result as underdogs this weekend.
Davies, who is bound to name a strong lineup to counteract the Cobblers’ threat, has a few selection dilemmas to consider. The centre-back pairing, left-back, midfield trio and striker pick themselves but all the other spots are up for grabs as Birmingham’s deep squad is utilised.
Birmingham City predicted lineup vs Northampton
Without further ado, here’s the starting XI we reckon Davies will name at Sixfields.
GK - Ryan Allsop: Leading the League One Golden Glove race with 17 clean sheets despite playing far fewer matches than his closest contenders, Allsop has been in terrific shape this season.
RB - Alfons Sampsted: The Iceland international came in for a surprise start last time out and took his opportunity. Sampsted deserves to play again with this his opportunity to make a proper breakthrough at Blues.
CB - Christoph Klarer: Immensely consistent this campaign, Klarer rarely ever drops below a seven out of 10. He’ll be a guaranteed starter next season too with Phil Neumann set to arrive as his partner.
CB - Ben Davies: The manager’s namesake has been sensational, forming a formidable partnership with Klarer. It’ll be interesting to see whether Blues sign him permanently or not.
LB - Alex Cochrane: He’s had to play a lot of football this season with Lee Buchanan out with two long-term injuries but Cochrane has adjusted superbly, locking down the left-back spot.
CM - Tomoki Iwata: Arguably good enough to fit in any Championship midfield, Iwata has been one of Birmingham’s star men this term. There’s no displacing him.
CM - Paik Seung-ho: Paik scored his first goal of the season against Stevenage after Davies called for more involvement in the attacking third. He’ll be keen to add to his tally sooner rather than later.
RW - Kieran Dowell: A superb winter signing on loan from Rangers, Dowell has scored penalties in successive matches. He’s been a brilliant creative force out on the right.
CAM - Willum Willumsson: Adding to the Icelandic contingent, Willumsson has made this number 10 position his own once more. The 26-year-old has been worth the £3 million fee paid in the summer.
LW - Keshi Anderson: Now back from his hamstring injury, Anderson should head back into the XI. The winger has been in dazzling off the left this campaign.
ST - Jay Stansfield: Stanno returned off the bench against Bolton and then started the last two games. He should continue in the XI as Alfie May is without a goal in his last 15 appearances.
