Birmingham City receive injury boost ahead of Sheffield United opener

Birmingham City have received positive injury news ahead of their Championship opener against Sheffield United, with Alex Cochrane expected to be available for Saturday’s trip to Bramall Lane.

The left-back was forced off during the first half of last weekend’s cup victory over Swansea City after suffering a heavy knock in a collision with Christoph Klarer.

Cochrane was unable to continue after the break, with Lee Buchanan coming on to replace him. It was Buchanan’s first competitive appearance since December 2024.

However, Blues head coach Chris Davies has confirmed that Cochrane has recovered and should be in contention to reclaim his starting position against Sheffield United.

“Cochrane took a heavy knock but he’s recovered from that so we’re in good shape,” Davies said.

There is also encouraging news surrounding Paik Seung-ho and Demarai Gray, with both players coming through the Swansea match without any major problems after getting valuable minutes.

“Paik came through it well and they’ve all recovered pretty well,” Davies added.

Kanya Fujimoto remains a slight doubt after missing the Swansea victory.

The midfielder had featured in every one of Birmingham’s pre-season fixtures but was left out of the squad because of a minor knock.

Davies is hopeful Fujimoto will not be sidelined for long and believes he could return to contention soon.

“Kanya is close,” he said. “He’s not got a long-term injury, it’s something he’s been trying to build up through this week. He’s close to being available for this game.”

There is less positive news elsewhere in the squad.

German striker Marvin Ducksch is still working towards full fitness after an injury disrupted his entire pre-season, while Marc Leonard and Taylor Gardner-Hickman are expected to remain unavailable for the foreseeable future.

Despite those absentees, Davies has received a timely boost ahead of Birmingham’s opening Championship fixture, with Cochrane’s recovery providing another option for the trip to Sheffield United.