There is probably not a person alive who remembers the last time Lincoln City beat Birmingham City as these sides get set for a rare square-off at Sincil Bank.
It was in the mists of time back in 1911 when the Imps got the better of Birmingham in the old Second Division, a rare highlight in a season which ended in Lincoln going down.
Nineteen meetings later have yielded 13 wins for Birmingham and six draws, three of those victories in 2024/25 when the clubs met twice in League One and also in the FA Cup.
They face each other here with Lincoln in 15th in the Championship and buoyant after thrashing Burnley 4-1, while Birmingham are seventh and determined to bounce back from their 1-0 loss at Cardiff City.
Lincoln City v Birmingham City Tips Summary
Best Bet - Lincoln City to win @ 11/5
Alternative Bet - Over 9.5 corners @ 5/6
Bet Builder - Conor McGrandles to be booked, Over 4 Birmingham corners & Both teams to score - Yes @ 27/4
Lincoln City v Birmingham City Prediction
Best Bet: Lincoln City to win @ 11/5
Lincoln could be anything on any given day which makes them attractive at a nice price.
Capable of wins at Bolton and Bristol City, able to get draws against play-off teams Southampton and Millwall, good enough to batter Burnley 4-1, the Imps clearly have a good side to them and fear no one.
On the flip side, their previous home game saw them hit for six by West Ham just four days after they were well beaten 3-0 at Sheffield United.
They have conceded 14 goals in their last five games, but will still back themselves against Birmingham, even though the Blues have won three of their last four.
Chris Davies' men were poor last week at Cardiff where they lost 1-0 and will try to play all the football at Sincil Bank.
It's the job of the Red Imps players to stop them and they are worth trusting at a nice price to do that.
Alternative Bet: Over 9.5 corners @ 5/6
Lincoln concede almost eight corners per game, which is encouraging for a bet on over 9.5 of them in this match.
Indeed, nine of the Imps' 12 matches this season have copped for over 9.5 corners backers, so there is no reason to think this will be any different.
Lincoln City v Birmingham City Bet Builder Tip
Conor McGrandles to be booked
Over 4 Birmingham corners
Both teams to score - Yes
Pays 27/4
Conor McGrandles, sent off in the 6-0 home loss to West Ham, was recalled by Tom Shaw and Chris Cohen against Burnley following his suspension and was excellent in the 4-1 win.
The Scot will be busy trying to harass and suppress the Blues' high-class midfield and that runs the risk of him crossing the line.
He averages two tackles and 1.1 fouls per game and has seen four yellows alongside his red.
The visitors are averaging 6.2 corners per away game, while Lincoln concede 5.3 per home game (7.8 overall), so Birmingham can win at least five corners.
Lincoln have scored seven and conceded 14 in their last five games and both teams have scored in eight of Birmingham's last 12.
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Key Match Stats
Lincoln City snapped a four-game winless run with a 4-1 thrashing of Burnley on Saturday
Birmingham's 1-0 loss at Cardiff at the weekend was just their second league defeat of the season
Lincoln's last five league games have produced 21 goals - the five league games immediately before that produced five goals
Birmingham's seven away games this season have produced just 12 goals
Lincoln have been shown 31 cards (28Y 3R) this season, second only behind Watford who have received 33 (all yellow)
Lincoln concede a division-high 7.8 corners per game; they have won a corners matchbet in only one of their last 10 league games
Birmingham have won their last five games against Lincoln and have not lost to the Imps in any of their past 19 meetings - a run which goes back to 1911!
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
