Chris Sutton believes Birmingham City will defeat Leeds United in their FA Cup fourth round meeting at St. Andrew’s on Sunday.

The Blues are in fantastic form going into the game against the Premier League club, having just lost on New Year’s Day at Watford, and that form has put Chris Davies’ team firmly in the play-off fight.

As a result, the league is unquestionably the goal this season, and Birmingham will believe that back-to-back promotions are achievable – but a cup run on the side won’t hurt, especially given the Midlands club’s squad depth.

Chris Sutton predicts Birmingham City will beat Leeds United.

For the time being, all attention is focused on the FA Cup this weekend, with the Blues ready to face top-tier competition.

Given the distance between the teams, Leeds will start as favourites, and Daniel Farke’s side is in fine form ahead of their journey to the Second City.

However, Blues will be confident in their ability to give the Yorkshire outfit a scare, and commentator Sutton, who had a brief time with the club in 2006, told BBC Sport that he believes they will win because Farke is expected to make alterations to his best starting 11 for the match.

“Leeds’ comeback from 2-0 down to draw at Chelsea was just extraordinary, but I can smell an upset here,” Sutton said.

“I am confident Leeds manager Daniel Farke will make some changes because he will be keeping an eye on the Premier League and their upcoming game against Aston Villa.

“Birmingham are performing well under Chris Davies, having gone unbeaten in eight games across all competitions.” This appears to be an ideal opportunity for him to steal a top-flight scalp. 1-0.

Birmingham City will want to maintain their great home form going.

This promises to be an excellent game, which will undoubtedly be played in front of a raucous crowd – which is what the FA Cup is all about.

It would be understandable if Farke rotated, but Joel Piroe, Wilfried Gnonto, Ao Tanaka, and Dan James should all start, given they were vital players as Leeds won the Championship with 100 points last season.

So, regardless of which XI is chosen, it is apparent that they will field a strong team, and Birmingham will face a challenge.

However, the Blues were quite impressive in a 3-2 FA Cup defeat to Newcastle last season, and the margin to Leeds is smaller than it was to the Magpies a year earlier.

The Midlands side has only lost once at home this season, following an unblemished home record in League One, so they are unaccustomed to losing at St. Andrew’s.

As a result, Leeds will have a difficult tie, and it would not be surprising if Sutton’s prediction proves correct.