Birmingham City Vs Manchester City Betting – Sunday 1st November

Birmingham City V Manchester City

Kick-off: Sunday 1^st November –

Venue: St. Andrews

TV Coverage: Sky Sports 1

Birmingham City

League Position: 15th

Recent Form: WLLLW

Birmingham wrapped up arguably their biggest win of the season last Saturday when they battled their way to a hard fought 2-1 victory over high-flying Sunderland. The win will be welcomed with a sigh of relief as Birmingham had previously lost back-to-back home fixtures at St. Andrews, losing to Aston Villa (0-1) & Bolton Wanderers (1-2). Both were by the slimmest of margins so perhaps a win at home wasn’t to far off for Alex McLeish’s men but will they make it back-to-back victories at home for the first this season as they welcome free-spending Man City to St. Andrews?  

St. Andrews, despite the home crowd seeing their team lose twice their already this season, is rapidly becoming a very tough venue to play. Alex AcLeish gets his side organised and readied for battle whenever an opponent tries their luck on Birmingham soil and it’s been their rock solid defence at home which has caught our eye the most. Joe Hart may have become surplus to requirements at Man City but he’s been a big stumbling block for opposing strikers, with the young England hopeful conceding just four goals at St. Andrews in five home outings, also keeping two clean sheets.

However, as far as I’m aware, Joe Hart won’t be available for selection to face his parent club so Alex McLeish will have to put some faith in his number 2, Maik Taylor, who still remains a very good shot-stopper, albeit not getting any younger. It will be interesting to see how Birmingham will cope without Joe and whether Maik Taylor will look to seize on this rare opportunity to stake a place for some more first team action the future. A shut-out against one of the top four contenders would certainly put him in the frame so he’ll be fired up to put in a good display for the gaffer.

It’s fair to say that Birmingham will need to put in one heck-of-a shift to halt City, although, City’s top four express has come to a stern halt of late. However, the Birmingham goalmouth will surely receiving a good peppering so how successful day this is for the club will come down to not only how well the goalkeeper and the defence perform but also how well their midfield rally and close down what is a talented Man City midfield. We would pinpoint Gareth Barry and stick a man on him to watch his every move. To beat Man City they will need to remove the source and the majority of City’s play comes through the former Villa man.

Manchester City

League Position: 6^th

Recent Form: LWDDD

Mark Hughes showed his intent in midweek when he fielded a very strong line up against Championship side, Scunthorpe United in the Carling Cup. Mark Hughes is confident that his squad can compete on all quarters and that’s no surprise considering the amount he spent over the summer. Their forward department is like a who’s who of world-class Premiership strikers while their midfield still boasts several fringe players with first-team qualities. However, although City got the result they wanted in midweek, smashing Scunthorpe 5-1 at the City of Manchester, they failed to secure the result they so desperately needed against Fulham in the league last Sunday, letting slip yet more points against the Cottagers after previously leading 2-0.

Mark Hughes will be bitterly disappointing with not only City’s performance last week but also their lack of concentration and apparent disregard for their opponent. The thing was, the Sky Blues never really looked comfortable against Fulham even when they went 2-0 up. Fulham didn’t come across many problems when it came to creating chances, good ones at that, and were it not for some lacklustre finishing from the Cottagers then City could of found themselves leaving home without anything to show for their beleaguered efforts.

City must put that game with Fulham to bed now and concentrate on their task at hand, a tough game away at Birmingham. Their opponents boast a very tidy defensive record at their home ground but what City boast is the ability to create a half-dozen or more clear cut chances in a game, mainly due to their highly talented midfield, consisting of; Gareth Barry & Martin Petrov. We have just mentioned those two as they have been their main goal providers this season. Barry has the ability to spot and pick out a pass from anywhere on the pitch while Martin Petrov has come into his own since returning from injury, scoring three goals for City this season. His pace down the left makes it hard for full-backs to tame him and we feel he could be pivotal in how City fare at St. Andrews.

City, after an impressive start to the season, have started to come off the boil, drawing three league games on the spin. Draws away at Aston Villa & Wigan Athletic in combination with Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Fulham means Man City’s early run of five victories in their opening six games has derailed their early momentum. However, City do have the far better side of the two and posses more match winners then their rivals but could complacency start creeping into their game?

Head-to-Head (Last 10):

Birmingham City W: 3 Manchester City W: 6 Draws: 1

These two seem to meet every other season due to Birmingham’s persistent flirtation with the drop and promotion, however, Man City do lead the head-to-head counter quite comfortably, although, Birmingham did win the last meeting at St. Andrews 3-1 back in the 2007/2008 season, two seasons ago. A lot has changed since then especially in the Man City camp and it is the travellers who arrive in Birmingham are the hot favourites to extend their superiority in the head-to-head count. The last two clashes on Birmingham soil have produced goals so perhaps that could be a smart call here.

Match Verdict:- Manchester City to WIN – 1.91 Boylesports

City have started to become addicted to drawing games after sharing the spoils in their previous three outings in the league. Birmingham, however, have lost two of their last three games at home to perhaps they are starting to come off the boil at home. Birmingham’s lack of fire-power is a massive cause for concern and we can’t see them outscoring City so it basically comes down to will Birmingham keep City at bay? We don’t think so, providing City keep it tight at the back, Mark Hughes and Man City should claim all the spoils in this contest.

Match Odds:

Birmingham City – 4.50 PaddyPower

Draw – 3.50 Bet365

Manchester City – 1.91 Boylesports

SoccerBetting Value Tip: 1-2 Correct Score – 8/1 SportingBet

 Update: The result of Birmingham vs Man City was 0-0