Conti Cup preview: Albion head to Birmingham

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Melissa Phillips’s side begin their Conti Cup campaign at St Andrew's on Wednesday.

Heather Miller

2023-10-11T06:00:00Z

Lee Geummin in action against West Ham.

Albion take on Birmingham City on Wednesday night in the Conti Cup, kick-off 7pm.

Melissa Phillips's team were drawn in Group E alongside Blues, Charlton Athletic and West Ham, with the latter two sides also facing each other tonight.

View from the bench

Speaking about Sunday's defeat to West Ham, as well as Wednesday night's match, head coach Melissa Phillips said, "We're disappointed but it is our first loss as a team, including pre-season. So I think it just puts things in perspective - we didn't expect to never lose again, but it's all about how we respond to it.

"It's great to have the midweek match to look at some different things about us and where we want to improve, but also how we can be more versatile throughout. So we're looking forward to the matchup and the challenge."

Past meetings

The two sides met twice last season in both the League Cup and FA Cup. In our first clash, we met at St Andrew's where the Blues secured a 3-2 victory. Geummin Lee and Danielle Carter were on the scoresheet for us that day.

Albion would then meet Birmingham again at St Andrew's in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup in March. This time Albion came out on top to secure their place in the semi-final, thanks to a 2-0 win.

Player to watch

Libby Smith has been a key player for the Blues in their recent run of Championship matches. The 22-year-old striker signed a new contract for the club this summer and has gone on to start in the last three matches, netting two goals in their 3-1 league win against Southampton.