Why are Birmingham City playing twice in four days this week?

Birmingham City face a demanding week as they play two matches in the space of four days.

Despite the season only being a few weeks old, Chris Davies’ Blues face a hectic schedule this week, taking on Brentford in the cup before returning to Championship action just a matter of hours later.

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The second round of the Carabao Cup kicks off this week meaning there’s a scheduling quirk which will force the Blues to play on Tuesday and Friday.

The cup competition has impacted several other fixtures across the country, with Fulham vs AFC Wimbledon and Chelsea vs Luton both requiring rearrangement due to top-flight commitments.

As a result, EFL sides have been forced to shift their league encounters to accommodate the changes.

However, because Birmingham’s trip to face Wrexham at the Racecourse Ground has been selected for live television broadcast, they are forced to navigate two competitive fixtures within a four-day window.

The Friday evening encounter will also be broadcast live on talkSPORT 2, featuring match commentary from Adam Bridge and former Scotland international striker Chris Iwelumo.

When do Birmingham City play?

Double-headers are far more common in English football during the modern day.

The Blues host Brentford at St Andrew’s on Tuesday, August 25 in the Carabao Cup at 8pm BST.

This is only the second EFL Cup meeting between the teams, with the midlands-based outfit winning a fourth round tie on penalties in their route to winning the trophy in 2010/11.

talkSPORT will be across the action on Tuesday going around the grounds, hosted by Adrian Durham alongside Dean Ashton and Ben Mee.

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What’s the rules on fixture congestion?

The FA states: “There is no maximum or longest required gap between regular games in English domestic football during a normal season.”

While there is no strict upper limit on how long a team can wait between matches, competitions and governing bodies generally look to ensure a minimum rest period.

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The time frame is often around 48 to 72 hours between competitive fixtures.

The Premier League and the English Football League schedule matches on weekends and midweeks depending on broadcast selections and cup competitions.

Other teams involved in the competition will also have two games within a week time frame.