Birmingham and Sevilla will play against each other for the first-ever time when they meet at the Estadio Algarve in a pre-season friendly on Saturday. Birmingham come off the back of a highly successful season where they were promoted from League One back up to the Championship after just one season, coming up as champions with a record points total.
Sevilla had a very disappointing season by their usual standards, finishing in 17th place in the La Liga table and so narrowly avoiding relegation to the Spanish second division. Their pre-season has already gotten underway, as they beat Wydad 1-0 in a friendly back in May before their opponents headed off for the FIFA Club World Cup (CWC).
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Birmingham vs Sevilla prediction: Blues to hold European winners?
Key stats
- Birmingham are in the middle of a five-game winning streak, and are unbeaten in six matches in total in all competitions.
- Birmingham have conceded just twice across those six games.
- Sevilla have lost three of their last five games in all competitions.
Correct score prediction: Birmingham 2-2 Sevilla
Sevilla should feel that they can beat a Championship side in Birmingham, but confidence is low after the disappointment of the 2024/25 campaign, and so this could play into Birmingham's hands. Likewise, the Blues will have momentum from their excellent season and are likely to relish the occasion, as it is not often that the team gets a chance to play abroad against a side with such European pedigree as Sevilla, who won the UEFA Europa League (UEL) not long ago.
Pre-game odds and win probability: No odds currently available at the time of writing
- HOME: N/A
- DRAW: N/A
- AWAY: N/A
*odds not currently available at the time of writing
Also, feel free to check out our dedicated Football Betting Tips Today page.
Most recent H2Hs: First meeting between the two sides
As mentioned previously, this will be the first-ever meeting between the two teams. It will no doubt be interesting to see just how Birmingham get on against a side with as much European pedigree as Sevilla.
Birmingham preview: Furuhashi could feature
Birmingham's new signing Kyogo Furuhashi could feature from the start in what is an exciting addition to the Blues squad having previously excelled at Celtic. However, both Alfons Sampsted and Emil Hansson are not expected to play a part in the match.
Predicted lineup: Allsop (GK), Laird, Neumann, Klarer, Buchanan, Iwata, Doyle, Stansfield, Fujimoto, Furuhashi & Gray
England League 1 03/05/25
W
Cambridge Utd
1
Birmingham
2
England League 1 30/04/25
W
Blackpool
0
Birmingham
2
England League 1 27/04/25
W
Mansfield
0
Birmingham
4
England League 1 24/04/25
W
Stevenage
0
Birmingham
1
England League 1 21/04/25
W
Burton Albion
1
Birmingham
2
Sevilla preview: Couple of concerns among returning loanees
Sevilla have concerns over a couple of loanees returning to the squad after the 2024/25 campaign. Kelechi Iheanacho is currently recovering from gastroenteritis, while Joan Jordan has not yet returned to full training, and so both are not expected to feature.
Predicted lineup: Fernandez (GK), Pedrosa, Salas, Marcao, Carmona, Bueno, Sow, Agoume, Vargas, Romero & Januzaj
Spain La Liga 13/05/25
W
Las Palmas
0
Sevilla
1
Spain La Liga 10/05/25
L
Celta Vigo
3
Sevilla
2
Spain La Liga 04/05/25
D
Leganes
2
Sevilla
2
Spain La Liga 24/04/25
L
Osasuna
1
Sevilla
0
Spain La Liga 20/04/25
D
CD Alaves
1
Sevilla
1
Player to watch: Kyogo Furuhashi
Signing Kyogo Furuhasi is a real coup for Birmingham. The Japan international made quite the impact in British football with Celtic, winning multiple trophies and scoring plenty of goals.
Moving to Ligue 1 club Rennes in France, it did not quite work out for Furuhashi. However, there is no denying his quality, and he could make his debut for Birmingham against Sevilla.