Birmingham City V Bolton Wanderers – Saturday 26th September

 

Birmingham City V Bolton Wanderers

 

Kick-Off: Saturday 26^th September – 15:00 GMT

Venue: St. Andrews

 

 

 

Birmingham City

 

League Position:

Recent Form: WDLLW 

 

 

Alex McLeish will have been ecstatic with his sides weekend antics when Birmingham not only went to the KC stadium to frustrate Hull City but they also stole all three points as Gary O’Connor netted a vital winner for the away side in game that had the potential to be a six pointer. Those points has enabled Birmingham to breathe a little easier as they now find themselves four points above the relegation zone, and it’s a fine result they simply have to build upon, especially back on home soil.

 

Were Birmingham not to make it back-to-back wins in the league then you would have to feel Birmingham have massively disappointed. They did all the hard work back at The KC stadium against Hull City so securing the right result at home against a Bolton side that struggled in front of their home fans last weekend, should be a walk in the park, or so you would think. Birmingham do already have a home success under their belts when they beat Portsmouth by the narrowest of margins, winning 1-0.

 

Scoring at St. Andrews has been a problem for Birmingham, with Alex Mcleish’s side managing just one goal in three home fixtures, and even that came against a Portsmouth side without a single point to their name. That’s a terrible statistic, especially as Aston Villa & Stoke City are far from unbeatable, those were the two other sides that have played at St. Andrews this season. To make matters worse, Birmingham haven’t looked like scoring in all three so the goal at Portsmouth actually flatters them, and, we mustn’t forget that Birmingham’s 1-0 defeat of Portsmouth was via a 90^th minute penalty.

 

We do like Birmingham this year as they’re a solid side, and their defensive record of conceding just four goals in five games underlines this, with Birmingham conceding just one at home this season. However, they lack the quality needed to score the goals up front to make their solid defence actually worthwhile. They simply have to take more chances if they are to pick up more points and they should at least have a go against Bolton.

 

 

Bolton Wanderers

 

League Position:

Recent Form: LLLWD

 

  

Bolton were nearly outdone by their twin last weekend when Stoke’s rustle & Bustle approach met Bolton’s tireless workers at The Reebok. Gary Megson’s side didn’t quite adapt to Stoke’s game plan and it was the away side who took the lead just after half-time when Dave Kitson headed home. However, Bolton put in a spirited second half performance and eventually, via an 88^th minute Matty Taylor penalty, Bolton pulled level to claim a vital share of the spoils. Not the result they had in mind considering it was a home fixture but a hard earned point nevertheless.

 

  

That draw at the weekend now brings Bolton’s point tally to four points and that solitary point was enough to lift them out of the bottom three. The incentive for the Bolton players should be there, secure at least a point at Birmingham and you could be safe for another weekend, from the bottom three that is. However, defeat at St. Andrews could send Bolton back to the pits once again.

  

If Bolton are to have any success in this fixture then they have to scrap their passive style of play. They didn’t cause Stoke nearly enough problems and never looked liked they would take all three points in that game. The problem for Gary Megson is he has no quality up front. Kevin Davies will always remain a threat from set-pieces but if you’re relying solely on set-plays for your main bulk of goals this season then you’re a side in big trouble, and that could very well be Bolton.

 

 

Head-to-Head:

 

 

Birmingham City W: 5 Bolton Wanderers W: 4 Draws: 1

 

 

Since 2002 these two sides have met on ten occasions in the Premiership, with Birmingham edging the head-to-head record between the two. It’s also important to know that home advantage is often key in recent meetings with Birmingham winning the previous two matches at St. Andrews, and they’ve won four out of the last five encounters on home soil. Bolton, on the other hand, have had the better fortune back at The Reebok so make of this what you will.

 

 

Over 2.5 Goals: 4 Under 2.5 Goals: 6

 

Although there may have been four encounters which featured a few goals, the vast majority have been extremely low scoring affairs, with the few overs games being somewhat of anomaly. The last two encounters at St. Andrews have only featured one goal in each, with Birmingham winning both by a 1-0 score line.

 

 

 

Match Verdict: DRAW – 12/5 Boylesports

 

Despite Birmingham coming into this fixture off the back of a creditable away win, and Bolton only managing a draw at home to Stoke last weekend, we fancy Bolton to do just enough and frustrate Birmingham at St. Andrews. The pressure will be on the home side but they’ve failed to cause teams many problems previously at home and with an inform Jussi Jaaskelainen in the Bolton goal, this has the makings to be another dull, low scoring affair, with the draw a logical prediction. However, we must bring this little fact to light that none of the previous five encounters at St. Andrews have ended in a share of the spoils. We’re banking on that run to coming to an end this weekend.

 

 

 

Match Odds:

 

 

Birmingham City – 6/5 BetFred

 

Bolton Wanderers – 11/4 SkyBet

 

DRAW – 12/5 Boylesports

 

 

 

SoccerBetting Tip: Under 2.5 Goals – 8/13 Bet365