Nottingham Forest V Birmingham City

Nottingham Forest V Birmingham City

Saturday 2^nd January – 15:00 GMT

Arguably the two most consistent sides in the country do battle this weekend in what will be a very tight contest to call. Birmingham’s run of eleven matches unbeaten will be overshadowed by Forest’s run of sixteen games without defeat, however, City’s Premiership association does see them sneak ahead in terms of match day favouritism with the bookies but Billy Davies’ team have proven a tough nut to crack all season and this could very well be settled in two legs if the the sides replicate their league form.

Nottingham Forest

FA Cup Odds: 300/1 Boylesports

After a poor start to the season, managing just one win from their opening seven fixtures, things have really started to pick up and Nottingham is now a much brighter setting as the prospect of securing promotion back into the top flight becomes a serious possibility. Their sixteen match unbeaten run, 10 wins and 6 draws, has lifted Forest into automatic promotion contention with Forest now just two points off second placed West Brom. However, the player mustn’t get too excited as there is still the excitement of competing in the FA Cup and a good cup run, although could hinder the fitness levels of the players, will massively enhance the mood around the club, both with the fans and in the Forest dressing room.

The basis for Nottingham Forest’s success this season has been down to their solid defensive foundations. With the exception of Newcastle United who have conceded just 14 goals, Forest boast the tightest defence in the league after conceding a measly 18 goals in their opening 24 completed fixtures. They have, somewhat surprisingly, conceded a few more at home than they’ve done while on their travels but , equally, they’ve managed to locate the goal a lot more at home, 24 in total which is 14 more than on their travels, which is why they will be a very dangerous opponent for Birmingham on Saturday.  

Forest notched up their fourth win in December when they beat Coventry City 2-0 at The New Ground last Monday. Forest have now won three of their last four with all three being to nil. Also, another statistic which just highlights how strong their defence has been this season is that Forest haven’t conceded a single goal in their last five matches, over 510 minutes of action without their goal being breached. That’s a staggering achievement from a club that looked in trouble at the start of the season.

The biggest danger men for Forest will be Robert Earnshaw, a Welsh international with bags of pace and know-how, and Dexter Blackstock, a player who has played for just about every club in The Championship and yet still finds the goal with relative ease. The former has seven league goals for the season while Blackstock has bagged six. The pair have been a prolific striking duo this season and could cause a well organised Birmingham defence a few problems on Saturday.

Birmingham City

FA Cup Odds: 100/1 SkyBet

Forest maybe The Championship in form side but Birmingham, outstandingly, are the Premiership’s equivalent of Chelsea at present after going eleven matches without defeat, their longest unbeaten run for nearly a century. Their main objective for the season was to avoid the job and that mission is all but complete so now Alex McLeish can have no qualms about fielding the strongest possible side for this tricky looking clash with a Forest side who boast even more form than they do.

The Birmingham express is showing no signs of stopping after yet another victory on Monday afternoon, an away one at that. Their 1-0 success at Stoke City, a notoriously tough venue to play in, combined with their stunning display and result at home to Chelsea (0-0), a game they should of won, means Birmingham have plenty of solid momentum heading into this fixture knowing that even the current best in England, Chelsea according to the league table, can’t even beat them, so what chance do Championship side Nottingham Forest stand?  

Well, if Birmingham are to falter then you would fancy it to come on their travels as that is generally where they’ve underperformed this season, although not by a lot. Birmingham have only lost six games thus far but have lost twice as many on the road then at home, which is why we can’t get too carried away. However, they are unbeaten in their last five outings, recording three wins and two draws, but have conceded more than double the amount they’ve shipped at home on their travels. Their away form is very strong but there are little niggles that might advocate a turn up for the books in this clash.

Yet another amazing statistic, one that has even escaped me in recent weeks, is that Birmingham have scored in all but one of their away league games this season. That one exemption being their opening day outing at Manchester United, losing 1-0 in a valiant display. They have since managed to score in nine successive away games, with Cameron Jerome scoring their latest.

Match verdict: Nottingham Forest to WIN -2.90 PaddyPower

A draw will be a popular punt in this contest as there isn’t a lot to separate the two apart from where they ply their trade. Both are very stubborn, very awkward, and very clinical. Neither tends to give an awful lot away, but with this being the FA Cup, we fancy the home support to be the difference in a contest which we predict Forest progressing at the expense of the Premiership’s in form team. Forest haven’t lost at The New Ground since the middle of September, a run of eight games unbeaten, and have won eight of their last nine at home. Only Doncaster and Leicester have managed to score at Nottingham since Blackpool beat Forest 1-0 back in September, with Forest keeping a clean sheet in seven of their last nine at home, and their superb home form looks too good to miss out on considering that they are just shy of 2/1.

Match Odds:

Nottingham Forest – 2.90 PaddyPower

Draw – 3.40 SkyBet

Birmingham City – 2.50 Bet365

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Nottingham Forest to WIN to NIL – 4.30 BlueSquare

Prices last updated: 13:58 29^th Dec.