Northampton Town vs. Birmingham City - prediction, team news, lineups

Continuing their preparations for the caller League Two campaign, Northampton Town invited Championship outfit Birmingham City to Sixfields Stadium for a pre-season contention connected Saturday afternoon.

The Cobblers enjoyed a three-goal occurrence astatine the location of a non-league broadside earlier successful the week, whilst Blues managed to support their affirmative commencement to this summertime with victory astatine Burton Albion.

Match preview

Following a three-year stint successful the 3rd tier of English football, Northampton Town are gearing up for League Two duties this play aft placing stone bottommost of League One successful 2025-26, a mammoth 17 points down Leyton Orient successful the information of 20th spot.

The Cobblers' cruel run ended successful horrible fashion, with Saturday's hosts enduring an 11-match losing streak successful the league, with their past competitory triumph arriving astatine AFC Wimbledon connected February 10.

Northampton mislaid 5 consecutive League One matches astatine Sixfields to reason a woeful 2025-26 term, with lone chap relegated broadside Port Vale (21) collecting less than the Cobblers' 22 location points successful the 3rd tier.

After spells successful complaint of Newcastle United Under-21s and Bristol City, Chris Hogg is tasked with creating a winning mentality astatine the East Midlands club, who picked up a 3-1 triumph astatine Southend United connected Wednesday night.

On apical of that, the Cobblers held Premier League caller boys Coventry City to a goalless gully astatine Sixfields past Saturday afternoon, and defeated this weekend's visitors Birmingham 3-0 connected location ungraded during the pre-season of 2025.

Discounting the 2-1 decision to Portuguese giants Porto successful a behind-closed-doors fixture past weekend, Birmingham person enjoyed a flawless commencement to pre-season successful beforehand of their Bluenose faithful, picking up wins implicit Huddersfield Town, Solihull Moors and Burton Albion.

The yearly travel to the Pirelli Stadium was connected the cards for Blues connected Wednesday night, erstwhile August Priske netted his 3rd extremity of the summertime to unafraid immoderate insignificant Midlands bragging rights for the visitors.

Head manager Chris Davies opted to tract abstracted XIs successful each fractional astatine the basal of the Brewers, however, Birmingham are acceptable to springiness the ample bulk of their squad 90 minutes connected Saturday, with different radical travelling to look Crewe Alexandra astatine the aforesaid time.

Blues are apt to divided their elder professionals reasonably evenly crossed the 2 fixtures, but expect Danish marksman Priske, Spanish winger Carlos Vicente and midfielder Jhon Solis to beryllium connected the transportation together.

After humble trips to Sixfields and Mornflake Stadium this weekend, Birmingham volition crook their attentions towards a seismic juncture astatine St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, wherever Hansi Flick's Barcelona are the high-profile visitors connected July 31.

Northampton Town affable form:

L D W

Birmingham City affable form:

W W L W

Team News

On indebtedness astatine Sixfields Stadium from Lincoln City, Northampton shot-stopper Zach Jeacock is acceptable to look his erstwhile employers this weekend.

Club fable and goalscorer against Birmingham past summer, Sam Hoskins volition beryllium looking for his 105th Cobblers extremity connected Saturday.

Only returning to grooming astatine the commencement of this play pursuing his engagement successful the World Cup, Birmingham's South Korean prima Paik Seung-Ho is improbable to feature.

Recovering from a pre-season wounded concern, right-back Ethan Laird volition not play a portion astatine either Northampton oregon Crewe.

In the continued lack of Marvin Ducksch owed to an evident injury, Kanya Fujimoto is staking his assertion for a spot successful Davies's plans this season.

Northampton Town imaginable starting lineup:

Jeacock; Moore, Guthrie, Maxell; Wormleighton, Campbell, Fornah, Briggs; List, Hoskins, Saunders

Birmingham City imaginable starting lineup:

Mayo; Osayi-Samuel, Burrell, Buchanan, Bamba; Iwata, Maddox, Roberts, Gray, Bateman; Stansfield

We say: Northampton Town 1-1 Birmingham City

With the stronger Birmingham broadside expected to beryllium astatine Crewe, Northampton person a bully accidental of signaling back-to-back pre-season victories this week.

However, Blues are inactive apt to person Championship prime successful attendance astatine Sixfields Stadium, meaning that they should beryllium bully capable for a draw.