Birmingham City V Tottenham Hotspur Betting: Saturday, 30th January

Birmingham City V Tottenham Hotspur

Saturday, 30^th January – 15:00 GMT

Birmingham City

League Position: 8th

Recent Form: DDWDL

Now it gets interesting as Birmingham aim to bounce right back after suffering their first defeat in fifteen games. Their first in twelve Premiership outings. The task always looked far too big, even for the league most improved side, but it’s been apparent for a while that the players were thriving on this confidence booming run and now the spotlight really will be on them to see if the defeat at Chelsea does send Birmingham spiralling.

A large part of why Birmingham never came close to causing a upset at Stamford Bridge was Chelsea’s brillant start to the game and Birmingham’s willingness to allow Chelsea to strut their stuff for the entire first half. The home side were 2-0 up come the break and by the time Birmingham finally started to play the sort of football which had built such an impressive undefeated run it was too late. Alex Mcleish could only watch on come the end as his side lost 3-0, their first defeat in the league for over three months.

The hangover period now begins but they’ve been fortunate in that their next league game is a home fixture, although their opponents have regained their form after winning 2-0 in their last league outing, beating Fulham 2-0 at White Hart Lane. Moreover, Birmingham lost the reverse encounter with Tottenham 2-1, and so Spurs are on the verge of completing a league double over Birmingham. Two defeats on the spin after only enjoying the highs in recent months could have a devastating affect on team morale and so Mcleish will drill it home just how significant a game this is with Spurs and how important getting a result will be in terms of their season.

Although they were on the wrong end of a rare league low in midweek, we mustn’t forget that Birmingham haven’t lost a home fixture since the middle of September, eight home fixtures ago. They have since drawn three and won five and still boast very strong form heading into this tough fixture, albeit with a defeat firmly behind them. Moreover, the likes of Man City, Man Utd & Chelsea have all paid St. Andrews a visit this season, with only Man Utd actually finding Birmingham’s net, with both Chelsea & Man City failing to score. All were, however, draws.

Tottenham Hotspur

League Position: 4th

Recent Form: DWDLW

Tottenham, unlike their opponents, will be feeling great after overcoming a recent blip in results by stamping their authority in a game with Fulham, beating the Cottager’s 2-0 at White Hart Lane. That victory, one that came after a bitter draw with Leeds United, reinforced their top four bid and now Tottenham will be full of confidence as the three points on Tuesday night opened up a three point gap on their nearest pursuer, Liverpool. Now Tottenham have a bit of breathing space and perhaps this will release the pressure shackles.  

Spurs were fully deserving of their 2-0 success over Fulham in midweek as their performance was a match winning one, which is an obvious statement considering their ran out comfortable 2-0 winners. However, despite their opponents lacking away form, questions were being asked over whether Spurs were suffering a lull in team spiirt and confidence after their 2-0 defeat at Anfield earlier in the month was quickly followed by a 2-2 draw with League One outfit, Leeds United, in the FA Cup. Also, Spurs do have the burden of a replay with Leeds just over the horizon and so a lack of concentration wouldn’t of been a surprise. However, Tottenham responded in the perfect manner and the victory over their London rivals could be yet another building block for a successful run.

The only concern from a Tottenham front is that Harry Redknapp may have one eye on their replay with Leeds on Wednesday night, a game shown live on ITV1. However, we don’t expect for one minute that Redknapp will field a weakened side at St. Andrews as finishing in the top four, above the likes of Liverpool, Aston Villa & Man City, is their main priority this season and, if anything, Leeds will get the easy treatment. Tottenham, who have a host of teams breathing down their necks, can ill-afford to drop any points and so they will go all out for the win in this encounter with Birmingham, and will be gunning for a league double over Birmingham after beating the Blues 2-1 earlier in the season.

If you’re looking for a serious negative to put you right off a Tottenham back then look no further then this statistic – Tottenham Hotspur have won just one of their last six away league fixtures, with that sole victory coming at Blackburn Rovers. Also, Tottenham haven’t managed a goal in their previous two outings in the league and have now gone over 240 minutes without a goal on their travels.

Match Verdict: Tottenham Hotspur to WIN – 2.50 BlueSquare

Birmingham impressive form at St. Andrews this season has to be respected, having not lost at home in their last eight, but Tottenham were a classy outfit on Wednesday night and when they’re in form they’ve proved a difficult team to stop this season. They have plenty of quality in attack to uncoil a tight and compact Birmingham defence, it could be a case of whether Tottenham can keep it tight at their end. If so, a Tottenham win could be on the cards. Birmingham could very well bounce back from their midweek disappointment, but we feel they’re a side beat left alone for the time being as you don’t quite know how they’ll react to a defeat which crushed a 15 match unbeaten run.

Match Odds:

Birmingham City – 3.25 Bet365

Draw – 3.40 Boylesports

Tottenham Hotspur – 2.50 BlueSquare

SoccerBetting Value Pick: Tottenham Hotspur to WIN to NIL – 5.00 totesport