Blackpool vs Birmingham City Prediction: Blues to get one over on former boss Bruce

Steve Bruce is in for a reunion on Sunday (13:00) when Blackpool welcome his old side Birmingham City to Bloomfield Road in the second round of the FA Cup. The Tangerines were 2-0 winners at Gillingham in the previous round.

Birmingham defeated Sutton United 1-0 away from home in the first round and now another trip awaits them in the cup. Read on for my Blackpool vs Birmingham City prediction, featuring the latest match odds and team news.

Blackpool vs Birmingham City Odds

Blackpool are 3/1, or a 25% chance, to win this tie in 90 minutes. Birmingham are valued at 4/5 to take the victory in regulation time, giving them an implied probability of 55.6%. The draw is available at 13/5 (27.8%).

The Tangerines are priced at 7/4 to win the tie, while the Blues are 2/5.

Both teams to score is marketed at 4/6 and over 2.5 goals can be backed at the same odds.

Football Odds

Team News

With both these teams having League 1 games ahead of them in the week, managers Bruce and Chris Davies are expected to make alterations to their lineups for Sunday to give their key stars some much-needed rest.

The Tangerines boss Bruce could be tempted to keep his back line intact after keeping a clean sheet against Bristol Rovers last time out in the league.

However, seeing as Hayden Coulson and Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel were drafted in against the Gills in the first round, Bruce could hand them another opportunity to impress, while Odel Offiah and Oliver Casey will likely keep their places.

Attackers Ashley Fletcher and Jordan Rhodes will be hoping to make the starting XI after having to settle for a place on the bench in recent matches. They made cameo appearances against the Pirates, alongside Josh Onomah, Dominic Thompson and Ryan Finnigan, who will also be hoping for an opportunity against Birmingham.

For Birmingham, they ended their three-game winless streak in the league with a professional 2-0 display at Exeter City in the week, giving the players a confidence boost ahead of the weekend.

Davies was impressed with the response after the Shrewsbury Town defeat last weekend, with his change in shape and personnel working to full effect. It will be interesting to see if he sticks with the system for the trip to Blackpool.

Star man Jay Stansfield is likely to be given a rest ahead of the visit of Stockport County on Wednesday, so Lyndon Dykes could be handed a rare start up front. Young Japanese winger Ayumu Yokoyama could be given another chance to dazzle on the left flank. Luke Harris and Alfie May could make up the rest of the attacking lineup as Willum Willumsson and Keshi Anderson are expected to be rested.

Midfield pairing Tomoki Iwata and Paik Seung-ho could also be handed valuable time off, allowing the likes of Marc Leonard and Taylor Gardner-Hickman to get some more minutes under their belt.

Bailey Peacock-Farrell should get the nod to go between the sticks, having lost the spot in the league to Ryan Allsop. Dion Sanderson could partner Ben Davies at the back, and they could be supported by full-backs Ethan Laird and Alex Cochrane.

There is an outside chance that Lee Buchanan could be involved here, having missed the entirety of the campaign so far through injury. His return would be most welcome as Cochrane has played most of the minutes on offer for the Blues in all competitions this term.

Birmingham and both teams to score @ 12/5

As both teams are expected to make changes for this one, this is where Birmingham's strength in depth should come to the fore. They are able to call upon players who would be guaranteed starts at other clubs in this competition, such as Dykes and Leonard, and both have so far found starting opportunities to be limited.

Some players would be frustrated and make a fuss about it, not these. They have been nothing but professional so far with Leonard in particular addressing his lack of minutes and stating that it's just one of those things in football and that he keeps working hard to make sure he's ready for when the chances arise.

He hasn't put a foot wrong in the few appearances he's made this term, and a lot of the supporters will be hoping to see him start on Sunday to show what he's capable of. I think he and the other fringe stars will be hoping to deliver at Bloomfield Road to try and play their way into contention for the the next batch of league matches.

The Blues were impressive at Exeter in terrible weather conditions, looking like the side that started the campaign brilliantly. I fancy them to build on that against Blackpool with a victory inside 90 minutes on Sunday.

I've added both teams to score, though, because I think with rotation at the back, the Blues may not be as strong defensively as they were in the week. BTTS has also been a winning selection in five of Blackpool's eight home games in League 1 this term, which has played into my thinking.

Birmingham to score in both halves @ 8/5

My second selection is Birmingham to score in both halves. I like this one because I think they have more than enough quality to hurt an inconsistent Blackpool side, and let's not forget that some of their biggest stars will be on call from the bench if needed on Sunday.

The players in the starting lineup will want to give a good account of themselves and there are players like May, Dykes and Yokoyama, who are all off the mark this season.

This has been a winning selection in eight of Birmingham's 15 matches in League 1 this season, while also landing a further two times in the EFL Trophy against Shrewsbury and Fulham Under-21s.

It's been a running theme for the visitors this year, and I fancy it to continue at Bloomfield Road.

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