Brentford Rotates Lineup Against Birmingham City in Carabao Cup

Brentford travels to face Birmingham City at St Andrew's on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, in the second round of the Carabao Cup following a 3-0 victory against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.

Head coach Keith Andrews handed first competitive starts to summer signings Callum Wilson, Jaidon Anthony, and Jannik Schuster, while resting eight players who started against Tottenham on the bench for the 8:00 p.m. BST kickoff.

The Bees reached the quarter-finals of the competition last season before suffering a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City, and they face a Blues side unbeaten in their first three games of the 2026/27 campaign.

The visitors enter the match after leading the Premier League in goals scored from fast breaks last season with nine, while also recording the highest number of accurate long balls per game at 23.4.

Birmingham City entered the second tier following a record-breaking 2024/25 League One title campaign under manager Chris Davies, where they set an EFL points record with 111 points before finishing 10th in the Championship last term.

The Blues progressed to the second round after securing a 1-0 victory over Swansea City, maintaining a strong home record that features only six losses across all competitions over the past three seasons.

During their opening two Championship games, Davies' side conceded three shots per game, the lowest average in the division, while generating 0.15 expected goals per shot.

"It was well short of a level you expect from a Birmingham City team," said Chris Davies, Manager, Birmingham City.

The Blues boss previously noted the difficulty during a winless stretch early in the previous calendar year before the team rallied to record their highest league finish in a decade.

"a season of real growth for us all in the club," said Chris Davies, Manager, Birmingham City.

Davies expressed pride in the club's development following the conclusion of their prior Championship campaign, which ended nine points outside the play-off spots.

"The connection between our players and fans is really important to me. The connection that we have as a football club. For them to take to a new player in that way straight away is quite special," said Keith Andrews, Manager, Brentford FC.

Andrews highlighted the home support after midfielder Mamadou Sangaré earned man of the match honors during his debut appearance over the weekend.

"I certainly hope so. That's the plan. It would be nice to go all the way, but there are a lot of obstacles that will come before then. First up is Birmingham," said Keith Andrews, Manager, Brentford FC.

The Brentford manager addressed the possibility of replicating the club's deep domestic cup run from the previous campaign.

"They've been on a very good journey with promotion and stabilisation. I've been to St Andrews on many occasions, and it will be a tough place to go," said Keith Andrews, Manager, Brentford FC.

Both sides named 4-2-3-1 formations for the tie, with the winner advancing to the third round of the competition.