Birmingham City vs Lincoln City Prediction: Another home clean sheet for Blues

An all-League 1 clash in the FA Cup pits league leaders Birmingham City against Lincoln City on Saturday (12:00) at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, with the Blues looking to extend their unbeaten run across all competitions to 12 games. Chris Davies' side have responded well to the defeat they suffered at then bottom-ranked side Shrewsbury Town back in November which has seen them return to the summit in League 1, as well as progress to the last 16 of the Vertu Trophy.

Lincoln head into this clash in disappointing form. Michael Skubala's team have lost three of their last four matches in the third tier, and are without a goal during this run. The Imps are in need of attacking reinforcements, and it doesn't help them when they're facing the best defence in the division. Read on for my Birmingham City vs Lincoln City prediction, accompanied by the latest match odds and team news.

Birmingham City vs Lincoln City Odds

Birmingham have won nine of their 14 home games across all competitions this season so their 8/13 (implied probability of 61.9%) gives you an extra bit of value in backing them to win this cup tie inside 90 minutes.

Lincoln are 4/1 (20%) to win in regulation time. Their two previous cup wins came away from home so this would suggest their might be some worth in the Imps on Saturday, but the more generous price appears to be as a result of the visitors blanking in each of their last four matches and they are facing a team with a strong defensive record.

If you think that the two teams won't be settled after the initial 90 minutes, you can back the draw at 11/4, a result which Lincoln experienced in their last league outing against Stevenage.

Both teams to score was a winning selection in both club's second round matches and it is valued at 8/11 to strike on Saturday. There have been seven occasions across all competitions in which both teams have found the back of the net at St Andrew's.

However, BTTS No could also be a tempting option because it has struck in Lincoln's last four league games as well as Birmingham's previous four encounters on home soil in the third tier.

The Blues' last seven home games in the league have all featured less than three goals, so under 2.5 for this market offers decent value at 1/1.

Football Odds

Team News

Having only returned from an injury that had kept him out for the start of the season last month, Birmingham defender Lee Buchanan has since been ruled out for the rest of the season following the severe knee injury sustained in the goalless draw with Blackpool two weeks ago.

This once again leaves Alex Cochrane as the club's only recognised senior left-back, which could force Davies' hand in the current transfer window. Right-sided full-back Alfons Sampsted is another in the medical bay and he hasn't been seen since he picked up an ankle problem while on international duty with Iceland.

Wingers Keshi Anderson and Emil Hansson are out "for a few weeks" as the Birmingham boss put it, due to slight issues. Hansson was another to suffer another setback after a recent return from injury, and Birmingham are currently limited in wide areas.

Scott Wright has featured in the last few games after a stint on the sidelines himself, but it is clear that he is still working his way up to full fitness. He might yet earn his first competitive start since October against the Imps.

Young Japanese winger Ayumu Yokoyama has found his opportunities limited in the league, but has predominantly featured in the cup competitions this term. He started at Blackpool in the second round last month, so he could be called upon for this home tie.

Jay Stansfield was left out of the squad against Wigan Athletic last time out with a knock and it remains to be seen if he will be involved at all at the weekend having also missed out against the Tangerines in the previous cup tie. We saw Lyndon Dykes and Lukas Jutkiewicz play alongside each other at Bloomfield Road in round two and Davies could be tempted to go with the pair against Lincoln.

Having scored three goals in his last two appearances, Alfie May will be hoping to have a role to play to keep his momentum going.

For Lincoln, Tom Bayliss made his first start in over two months against Stevenage last time out. The attacking midfielder had been out through injury and had made cameo appearances in the build up to his start last time out.

To get some more minutes in the tank, Skubala could be tempted to start him again at Birmingham. Ben House missed out at the weekend due to injury, and he looks likely to miss out on the trip to the West Midlands.

Adam Jackson, Ethan Hamilton and Jack Moylan were replaced in the starting lineup last time out, so the trio could be presented with an opportunity to impress against Davies' side.

As the Imps' top scorer this season with eight goals in all competitions, Sheffield Wednesday loanee Bailey-Tye Cadamarteri should continue up top for Skubala's team, but the boss has stated the need for another striker in this window following four games in which Lincoln have failed to score.

Birmingham to win to nil @ 7/4

In the early stages of the season, Birmingham were getting the results they wanted but not as many clean sheets as they would have liked. It took their sixth game to land their first in the league at Rotherham United, and slowly but surely they have become more consistent for the Blues.

They have recorded seven shutouts in their last nine appearances in the third tier, with four of them coming on home soil. Birmingham have now managed six clean sheets at St Andrew's this season in the league, and they are proving very tough to score against right now.

This defensive solidity they currently have, coupled with Lincoln's misfiring at the moment has me thinking backing Birmingham to win to nil could be a smart play here - and it has been a winning selection on five occasions inside this ground in 2024/25.

Birmingham to win 2-0 @ 7/1

Another market I think that is worth backing for similar reasons, is for the Blues to win this encounter 2-0. The league leaders have a lot of attacking options at their disposal, ignoring the fact some are injured at the moment.

However, even when they've all been fit and available, Birmingham have not been as free-scoring as the likes of Wycombe Wanderers, to the surprise of quite a few. There have been times where they have been wasteful with their chances and others where they haven't created enough. As a Blues fan, I mostly head into games confident because of the defensive record, but never expecting us to blow a team away.

This is why the 3-0 win over Wigan came as a shock to me, especially after two underwhelming performances leading up to it.

In most cases, you can expect two goals to be the best you'll get from them on a day, which likely coincides with the limited chances they themselves concede. I like the look of this scoreline at 7/1 because it has struck on six occasions for the hosts, including both home and away matches in the league.

Offers

Acca Flex: Place a pre-match 5+ leg Football accumulator and get a CASH bonus up to 100% if all of your selections win or your money back as CASH if one leg lets you down

Place an In-Play single bet of £10 or more at odds of 1/2+ on any FA Cup game on Saturday and get £5 in Free Bets to use In-Play on Sunday’s FA Cup games. (Credited upon Bet Settlement)