Prediction: Arsenal vs Birmingham

15th October 2010

Arsenal slipped to 4th place following the derby defeat to Chelsea and Gunners are now looking to make amends for the slip up by winning this game. Birmingham continued with lackluster performances as they lost at home to Everton with the Blues needing to produce something special if they want to get something from the Emirates.

Arsenal’s impressive start to the season once again didn’t last too long and that is slowly becoming somewhat of a tradition for the Gunners. In all fairness, numerous injuries to star players in the midst of a busy schedule have certainly took the wind out of their sails, while they haven’t played all that bad against Chelsea as the result might suggest. There is only one way how the Gunners can respond to back to back defeats to WBA and Chelsea, so Birmingham won’t like the fact they’ll be entertaining a wounded lion. Arsene Wenger’s side need a morale boosting win to get back to the title race and everything suggests the players are going to respond in the right manner. Arsene Wenger is happy to see the injury situation finally improving with Nicklas Bentdner, Kieran Gibbs and Theo Walcott all back to contention, although Cesc Fabregas, Manuel Almunia, Laurent Koscielny and Bacary Sagna remain on the sidelines.

Following a very successful last season and heavy investment in the summer, Birmingham were expected to build on the last campaign and again challenge the top table place, but things started taking the wrong turn for Alex McLeish’s side. They, too, were hit with a couple of injuries but that simply cannot be an excuse for just one win in first seven games, especially as Brum haven’t had a difficult fixture list to begin with. It looks as though the new players will need some more time to gel, but the main problem is the starters from last season are not playing to their potential. After the home defeat to Everton, the boss faces a real problem in terms of players’ psychological preparation as they clearly need to be at their very best to create a surprise at the Emirates. Craig Gardner’s three-match suspension (already served one game) couldn’t have come at a worse time as he was one of few star performers in the side, while Jean Beausejour and James McFadden also miss out.

Conclusion

Back to back defeats to West Brom and Chelsea should serve as a wake-up call for Arsenal players as the hosts desperately need a win to remain close to the top of the standings. Birmingham don’t look like the team that can cause them big problems at the moment, so home win looks like one of the safest football predictions this weekend.

Verdict: Home win Arsenal (1)

Best Odds: 1/3

Bookmaker: William Hill