Birmingham City V Aston Villa

Birmingham City V Aston Villa

Kick-Off: Sunday 13^th September – 12:00 GMT

Venue: St. Andrews

Birmingham City

League Position: 12th

Recent Form: LWDL

Birmingham will play host to one the the fiercest derbies in England as Aston Villa come to St. Andrews in a match that promises to an entertaining affair. It’s been nearly two years since these two last clashes in a Premiership encounter, but the long wait is now over and who will take home all the glory, and all the bragging rights in the Birmingham Derby. 

Birmingham manager Alex McLeish would have wanted a better start to the campaign, doesn’t everyone, but four points from their opening four fixtures isn’t a bad feat for club that has been widely tipped to struggle this season. Defeats at two extremely tough venues in Manchester United’s Old Trafford and Tottenham’s White Hart Lane were expected, however, back on home soil, Birmingham have been very resilient and it’s pretty evident, despite it being so early on in the season, that Birmingham’s best form and results will come at St. Andrews.

Birmingham’s only success so far did come at home to a hapless Portsmouth side, however, a win is a win and they did continue that form into their next encounter with Stoke City, albeit only managing a 0-0 draw. However, Birmingham have kept their unbeaten record at home in tact although they’ve only played twice at St. Andrews, with neither side proving a real test on paper. This will be Birmingham first physical examination on home soil and it will be interesting to see how they handle the pace of Ashley Young and the strength of both Gabriel Agbonlahor & John Carew.

Aston Villa

League Position: 8th

Recent Form: LWW

A drastic start to the season was soon put right with victories over both Liverpool & Fulham, both very tough sides in their own right, especially Liverpool, who finished last season as runners-up. Villa surprised a nation when they demolished Liverpool’s unbeaten record at home of 31 games, beating the title contenders 3-1. They then followed that stunning victory up with a fine 2-0 effort at home to Fulham. Now, with two wins on the board, Villa go in search of their third victory in succession and a win over bitter rivals Birmingham would certainly be the icing on the cake on what is turning into a great start to the season.

We have to put Villa’s opening day embarrassment at home to Wigan down to a one-off, as Villa simply weren’t at the races that day. They did come back strongly though in their following matches, winning both, showing their true fighting spirit. Now they need to show bags of grit & determination as they prepare themselves for a feisty encounter with local rivals Birmingham. A fixture Villa have enjoyed in recent meetings.

Head-to-Head:

Birmingham W: 4 Aston Villa W: 4 Draws: 2

This may look a tight affair after looking at the head-to-head record between the two, but most of Birmingham’s success did come several years ago, with Villa enjoying the most recent encounters. The previous two meetings at St. Andrews have both gone the way of Villa, With the claret’s and blue’s beating Birmingham 2-1 back in the 2007/2008 season and 1-0 back in the 2005/2006 season. Birmingham’s last victory at home in the Premiership against Villa coming five years ago.

Over 2.5 Goals: 6 Under 2.5 Goals: 4

Do not be deceived by the goals statistics. Six of the last ten encounters between the two sides may have produced a few goals but four of those came at Villa Park. Just two of the last five clashes at St. Andrews have produced memorable affairs in terms of goals, with the more entertaining affairs coming at Villa Park.

Match Verdict: Birmingham to WIN – 12/5 Bet365

This could be a risky selection but we just fancy Birmingham to nick one here. Alex McLeish has already seen his Birmingham side put in two solid performances at St. Andrews and, although they’ve yet to really shine in their attacking play, we feel Birmingham could overpower Martin O’Neill’s Villa side. Although Villa’s form does look outstanding after their victory away at Liverpool, but we must take this game at face value and we mustn’t forget that this is a derby, where anything can and probably will happen.

Match Odds:

Birmingham City – 12/5 Bet365

Aston Villa – 13/10 888Sport

Draw – 9/4 SkyBet

SoccerBetting Tip: Birmingham to Score 2 or more goals – 23/10 PaddyPower