With a 62-strong contingent of League One, League Two and academy sides eliminated, only Birmingham City and Peterborough United remain to fight for glory in the EFL Trophy final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Blues are already in party mood after securing promotion to the Championship on Tuesday night, when the two sides locked horns in the third tier.
Match preview
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With six games to spare of the League One campaign, third-tier juggernauts Birmingham City secured their return to the Championship at the first attempt following a 2-1 victory over Sunday’s final opponents Peterborough at the Weston Homes Stadium in front of 4,000 travelling Bluenoses.
Like the majority of away matches this season, Blues were made to work extremely hard for maximum points after summer target Kwame Poku equalised for Posh during the first half, with a low strike from Taylor Gardner-Hickman ultimately securing a 29th league success of the campaign for the visitors.
Sitting on 95 points, Chris Davies‘s all-conquering crop require just one win from their final six matches to seal the League One title, with four victories enough to take Birmingham to 107 points, breaking the record points tally for a season in English football history.
Looking to emulate the class of 1994-95 in winning a League One-EFL Trophy double, Blues are now focusing on the showpiece event at Wembley this weekend, when 50,000 Birmingham fans will descend onto the capital expecting to see captain Krystian Bielik lift the trophy.
Davies’s men commenced their EFL Trophy campaign with a penalty-shootout defeat to League Two Walsall all the way back in September but have since won six straight matches in the competition, including a dramatic 2-1 success over Bradford City in the semi-finals at St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park.
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Despite losing on both occasions to Birmingham in League One this season – most recently on Tuesday night at Weston Homes – Peterborough are quietly confident of causing an upset in London this weekend, with the third-tier strugglers possessing plenty of attacking weapons.
Arguably the standout talent in the division during 2024-25, Birmingham-linked Poku has wreaked havoc on the right flank for Posh this term, scoring 12 goals and providing eight assists from 24 appearances, with the Ghanaian understandably chomping at the bit to make an impression at Wembley on Sunday.
Darren Ferguson‘s have enjoyed success in the EFL Trophy over recent times, winning titles in both 2014 and 2024, with Peterborough aiming to record their third-ever triumph in the tournament this weekend, when they could become the first club to win the competition in consecutive campaigns.
Whilst the arrival of Birmingham into the Wembley final was hardly a surprise for anyone, Posh produced a major shock in the semi-finals to book their spot in the final two in February, when they came from two goals down in North Wales to take Wrexham to extra time, eventually advancing on penalties.
Team News
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After being rested from the start on Tuesday night, Jay Stansfield, Keshi Anderson and Paik Seung-ho should all re-enter the Birmingham XI at Wembley.
Finding the net versus Peterborough last time out, Gardner-Hickman has made a case for a starting spot, with Kieran Dowell or Willum Willumsson candidates to drop out.
There is also a strong argument for Alfie May to start in North-West London, with the energetic striker providing five goal contributions across his last 130 minutes of football.
Peterborough have been handed a boost in the build-up to this weekend, with first-choice goalkeeper Jed Steer expected to be available for selection.
The former Aston Villa man will be desperate to ruin Birmingham’s Wembley trip, meaning that Nicholas Bilokapic is likely to be demoted to the bench to make room in net.
Birmingham City possible starting lineup:
Allsop; Laird, Klarer, Davies, Cochrane; Paik, Iwata, Dowell, Willumsson, Anderson; Stansfield
Peterborough United possible starting lineup:
Steer; Johnston, Hughes, Fernandez, Mills; Collins, Kyprianou, Poku, Mothersille, Odoh; Jones
We say: Birmingham City 3-1 Peterborough United
Birmingham should have control of the ball for the most part at Wembley, although the big pitch should help Peterborough carry a threat on the counter attack.
As a result, we are expecting Posh to score at least once on Sunday, however Blues should be good enough to ultimately lift the EFL Trophy.
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