Blues travel to Sheffield for fourth round tie(credit:
Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
Sheffield United will be looking to dump Birmingham City out of the FA Cup on Saturday, but the Championship side should have too much for their hosts from League One.
Betfair Match odds: Sheffield United 2.72, Birmingham 2.86, Draw 3.45
United have won their last eight encounters at Bramall Lane, but don't make the mistake of paying that record too much respect, as just one of those victories came against a top-half League One side, so can't compare to the challenge presented by Birmingham.
Stepping in at St Andrew's hasn't been an easy task for Chris Hughton, immediately enduring a summer of upheaval and then attempting to keep the Blues in the Championship promotion picture while showing respect for the Europa League.
Since being able to focus solely on domestic matters though, and in particular in the aftermath of the hectic festive period, the improvement has been clear, four straight wins including away success over Millwall (6-0 no less) and Premier League club Wolves.
Birmingham have excelled in the cups in recent years, reaching the quarter-finals of the FA Cup in each of the last two seasons and lifting the Carling Cup, so with Opta noting that they have progressed from all three previous FA Cup clashes with the Blades, they have to be fancied.
Best Bet: Birmingham to win @ 2.86