Leeds United’s trip to Birmingham City in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday will see the meeting of two sides in which one is looking to emulate the other.
Birmingham’s Lofty Goals
Birmingham’s first season back in the Championship following a dominant promotion campaign in League One last season has not quite matched the lofty expectations many supporters would have held going into it.
By no means have they struggled. City are only just outside the play-off places in February.
Even finishing there would represent a respectable campaign for a team which has come up from the division below.
But this is a club, like Leeds, which has enormous ambitions. Plans have been unveiled to build a new 62,000-capacity stadium in east Birmingham. This would not only be the club’s home pitch, but also host a multitude of sporting and entertainment events.
However, until they do what Leeds have done, winning promotion to the Premier League and competing in the division, the ownership will not be satisfied. It is all well and good having a monumental stadium but without Premier League football, their vision will not be realized.
The Pressure Is On
It is fair to say Leeds are a level above Birmingham in their progression as a club. Both are backed by American owners, but Daniel Farke has managed to turn that backing into building a Premier League ready side.
Chris Davies is still hoping to do that. The Birmingham head coach has come under pressure at times this season for perceived underachievement.
He’s certainly been heavily backed from a player standpoint. The ownership brought in Jay Stansfield from Fulham while still in League One for big money along with a host of other lavish signings.
Their visit of Leeds is certainly a perfect opportunity to test themselves against a side of the level of which they are aspiring to be at, however.
“We’ve got a team in Leeds who I have been watching closely and I have enjoyed watching closely in the last week because I think they have really held their own in the Premier League this season,” Davies said ahead of the game.
“They are bucking that trend by the looks of it of teams going up and coming straight back down, there’s a lot to be said for that. I think they are obviously a very well organised outfit but they have been holding their own games.
“Every week is a test in the Championship but just what the Premier League is is it’s the pace of the game, the physical speed of the players but also the perceptive speed, how quickly they think, react, how quickly the ball moves, and I think that’s something that our players are really excited about testing themselves within.”
A “Not So Giant” Killing?
Davies will also feel that this game represents a huge opportunity for his team to pull off an upset and give his players the boost they need to rally before the end of the season, and secure a play-off spot to earn the chance at promotion to the top flight.
Farke has already made it clear that Premier League survival is the priority for the club, and will not risk players who have injury or fitness concerns.
It certainly, then, would not be a surprise to see the home side upset the odds, and doing so could be an indicator of just where Birmingham are heading in the next few years. Or certainly where they hope to go.
