Stevenage vs. Birmingham City: EFL Trophy Quarter-Final Clash at Lamex Stadium

The EFL Tropy keeps getting hotter as Stevenage hosts Birmingham City in the quarterfinals at Lamex Stadium on Tuesday, February 4, 2025. A semifinal berth awaits the winner, and both sides will be geared up to put up a great show to get one step from Wembley.

Stevenage, the home team, have had a nice run in the cup this season. Nevertheless, things are going to get pretty difficult for them here, as the next test definitely comes against perhaps the strongest outfit in the tournament, that is, Birmingham City. Exemplary has been the record of the visitors in the EFL Trophy, and it is doing fairly well both at the league level and in this cup. Indeed, this has all the making of an absorbing, closely-matched game of football.

Read also: Rotherham United vs. Bradford City: EFL Trophy Quarter-Final Showdown at New York Stadium

That said, this is going to be a very thrilling encounter as the two teams chase glory-one an underdog, seeking to rewrite history, and the other an ex-champion who wants the trophy back.

Stevenage's Road to the Quarter-Finals
Stevenage have become the dark horses in this season's EFL Trophy, where a string of good performances propelled them into the quarterfinals. Runners-up in their group, the resilience and tactical discipline have seen them through into the knockout rounds.

That was then followed with an convincing 4-0 second-round away win to Burton Albion and overcoming Leyton Orient in the round of 16 with a slender 1-0 win as Stevenage finally get past Leyton Orient. It was an own goal from Brandon Cooper - it showed how they can force opposition defences into errors.

Stevenage has been pretty indifferent in League One this season, though the cup performances have been considerably better. Coming into this on the back of four straight victories across all formats and clean sheets in each of the last two EFL Trophy games, it would appear that this team likes to keep things tight, particularly at the back.

This is a chance for manager Alex Revell to lead his side into the semis for the first time since the 2013-14 season, when they exited via a penalty shootout to Swindon Town. At their best is how the team needs to be if they are to surmount this flying-high Birmingham City team, but recent form should give them belief going into the tie.

EFL Trophy: Dominance of Birmingham City
The other finalists, Birmingham City, are two-time winners of the EFL Trophy and had been strong in this season's tournament. The Blues last lifted the title in 1990-91 and 1994-95 and they would not want to miss any chance of adding another trophy to their collection.

Their run to the quarter-finals has been characterised by some fine attacking displays. They remain unbeaten in the competition, having drawn once and embarked on a successive four-time win in the competition. In that period, Birmingham have scored 15 goals-averaging three goals a game, a testament to their offensive firepower.

They passed a real test of clinical finishing to record a narrow 2-1 victory over Swindon Town last time out. That victory came off the back of emphatic displays through their group-stage matches that had made them one of the favourites for eventual honours.

Away from cup action this season, Birmingham have been going about their business in the same fine form as hosts Plymouth in League One, sitting top of the table with 63 points taken from 27 matches to place them in pole position for automatic promotion to the Championship. A recent 2-1 win over Rotherham United stretched that league unbeaten run, now stretching back to November.

The Blues go into this game off the back of 10 unbeaten games in all competitions, eight of those away from home, so adding to the rich vein of form, and thus they have better depth in the squad, which makes them a formidable opponent for Stevenage.

Key Players to Watch
Stevenage look to key players for the win, and one bright spark this season has been Jamie Reid. He has been good over the last games, giving Stevenage that much-needed attacking impetus of late. He creates space to bring chances around him, something very important in front of this well-sett Birmingham defense.

Jordan Roberts will be their influential player at home, and he has been equally good this season in scoring as well as goal creation. The experience and ability to create, which he had in midfield, might be huge in unlocking the backline for Birmingham.

Jay Stansfield has been leading the charge in this visitor's attack. This young lad seems in for a great season, finding the net in league and cup games in regular intervals, and will be dangerous with his pace, movement, and finishing to the Stevenage backline.

Keshi Anderson will be expected to pull the strings from midfield, controlling the pace of the game. He can hold onto the ball, link up well with the attack, and chip in with a good share of goals from midfield. Thus, he remains one of the key players for the Blues.

Kevin Long and Marc Roberts have marshaled the back for Birmingham this season - a bit defensively. Still, they do possess the mettle to handle the Stevenage forward thrusts with experience and composure.

Tactical Analysis and Match Expectations
Thereafter, Stevenage will probably appear in some type of narrow shape, designed to frustrate the visitors into error, with hopefuls of grabbing something on a counter. Still, two consecutive clean sheets on the trot of late have actually shown some indications of what that can achieve while keeping it real tight and tough for opposing attacks.

What Birmingham want to do in return is control the possession, and with great class, they look to force chances as goalscoring opportunities. A lot of what they've done well this season is high pressing, winning the ball back in advanced areas.

The match is going to be an important midfield battle as Stevenage have somehow to disrupt the passing rhythm of Birmingham if they are to stand a chance. If they remain organized at the back and can take their chances when they come, they could cause an upset. But if Birmingham play to their full potential, they have the quality to outclass their opponents.

Team News and Predicted Lineups
Stevenage do not have too many injury or suspension issues that would see any changes being made and Murphy Cooper should be in goal, while a regular back four including Lewis Freestone, Carl Piergianni, Daniel Sweeney and Nicholas Freeman should follow:.

The recent loan signing of Brandon Hanlan might feature off the bench, but he is unlikely to start an encounter like this. Right-back Luther James-Wildin will be subject to a late fitness test, although it remains uncertain whether he will feature.

After a good, full first-team debut for the Blues last week, Kieran Dowell will remain in midfield as Taylor Gardner-Hickman and Ethan Laird retain for flair, creativity, and balance in central midfield.

Starting Lineups Predictions
Stevenage Possible XI:
Cooper; Freestone, Piergianni, Sweeney, Freeman; King, Phillips; Reid, Kemp, Roberts; Appere

Birmingham City Possible XI:
Allsop; Cochrane, Davies, Klarer; Laird, Iwata, Gardner-Hickman, Dowell, Anderson; Stansfield, Dykes

Prediction: Who is in the Semifinals?
Thanks to an outstanding performance, very strong squad depth, attacking firepower, Birmingham City goes into this match as clear favorites, unbeaten in the EFL Trophy and dominant performances in League One; they will be a number for any team.

That should not rule Stevenage out completely, though-the solidity of their back door and recent results give them cause for optimism against the odds in this tie, especially if they can keep a tight leash on Birmingham and have some dead-ball situations.

That's a statement to quality and experience, and moments like this ultimately belong to Birmingham. While that should be pretty feisty, the Blues should have enough quality to see this out against Stevenage and go through to the last four.

Prediction: Stevenage 1-3 Birmingham City

Final Thoughts
This Stevenage vs. Birmingham City EFL Trophy quarter-final tie has everything; two semi-final aspirations for the teams in this tie, and the action will be piping hot.

Stevenage would go into the game in the quest to continue their fairytale run in the competition, but quality and momentum will make Birmingham the team to beat. The Blues can be assured of making it into the next round, provided they manage to keep their attacking efficiency intact and put on a similar, if not better, defensive display.

That is going to be an exciting encounter either way, with either side set to go all out for EFL Trophy glory.