Birmingham City manager Chris Davies has indicated that defenders Dael Fry and Kristoffer Lund could make their first appearances for the club in the upcoming Carabao Cup fixture against Brentford. Both players have been named on the bench in the opening three league games this season but are yet to feature on the pitch.
The Blues face a demanding schedule, with the cup tie at home on Tuesday followed by a Championship match away at fellow promotion hopefuls Wrexham on Friday. Davies acknowledged the need to manage his squad carefully for these fixtures, creating opportunities for new signings to prove their capabilities.
“Very possibly, I think both have trained really well, adapted really well, both are fit and ready to go, so it’s a good chance we’ll see those,” Davies commented.
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Speaking about Dael Fry, who joined from Middlesbrough, Davies highlighted the defender’s commitment: “I think Dael understands. I’ve had some good conversations with him. He had good options elsewhere, he came because he believed in Birmingham City, the project and what we can achieve here and he wanted to be part of that.
“That was a really good sign that someone really wanted to be here actually for the right reasons – and I think Dael knows that Chris [Klarer] and Phil [Neumann] have done well and developed a strong partnership.
“They’re all going to play a lot, [there’s] 50 games plus this season, Dael, Phil, Chris, they’re all going to play loads of football, no doubt about it. It’s just sometimes it’s rotation, sometimes it’s selection, obviously Dael’s ready to go.”
In addition to defensive options, striker Luis Vazquez, who has accrued 43 minutes across three appearances this season, could also feature. The Argentine forward, signed from Anderlecht over the summer, is eager to make an impact against Premier League opposition.
Davies remarked, “He’s good. He’s another one that’s got a little bit of game time, he was a bit of a handful when he came on the other day and he’s ready to go and again desperate for an opportunity to start a match.
“There’s, there’s nothing quite like starting a match, I’m conscious of that, you can sort of try and give players a bit of game time here and there and pick their minutes up for half an hour here and there.
“But when they do the warm-up, the whistle blows and they’re on the pitch to start, it’s a different feeling, so I’ve got to try and find the right balance with this team.”
Birmingham City are set to face a formidable Brentford side fresh from a commanding 3-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League opener. Davies anticipates a challenging match but one that promises an exciting occasion for his players and fans alike.
“I’m expecting typical Brentford, I’ve watched them a lot over the years, they’re pretty good at a lot of things actually. They’ve got the size and physicality with the set pieces that they’re famous for but they’ve also got some really dangerous players with speed.
“They play good football, they play out from the back, man to man press high, they do a lot of things I really like in football teams, I think they’re an excellent team. They’ve really grown over the years since they’ve come up to the Premier League.
“They’re probably going to change a few and they’re still going to look like a real Premier League team with the players on the pitch so it’s an exciting game for us.
“We’ve had Newcastle, Fulham in the cup, Leeds in the cup, we’ve had these games where we’ve typically always turned up and we’ve had a right go and the players have enjoyed the games – and I think the fans have as well.
“This is a proper Premier League team, a really good team, they just beaten Spurs 3-0, they beat Frankfurt 7-0 before that, so we know we’re up against it, but it’s going to be a really good occasion, I’m looking forward to us trying to impose ourselves at home and do what we do well.”