Prediction: Birmingham vs Blackburn

August 20th 2010

Birmingham snatched a point from the Stadium of Light after pulling from two goals behind and the Blues are now looking for the first win of the season. They play host to Rovers, who defeated Everton at home thanks to ridiculous Tim Howard blunder and with both sides boasting a good start of the season, this should be a really interesting game to watch.

After the impressive Premiership campaign, Alex McLeish had no reason for massive changes in the playing squad and he looks quite content with what he has at his disposal. The team are very well balanced and they have already gelled unlike many other Premiership sides, which should give them the upper edge in the opening rounds of the season. While defence and midfield have remained virtually unchanged, the Blues have added some quality to attack by signing towering striker Nikola Zigic and former Rovers prospect Matt Derbyshire, thus they should be much more potent than last term. The Blues have shown a real character by coming back from two goals behind at Sunderland and they are now expected to build on that result against one of the worst travelers in the top flight. The boss has absolutely no selection worries, although both Zigic and Derbyhshire are pushing for the starting places.

I have to admit Blackburn’s win over Everton came as a shock to me, but their performance was everything I had expected. Sam Allardyce’s men showed nothing on the day and scored the only goal after horrible mistake from Tim Howard, while they only had one more shot on target during the entire match. That was partly to the fact their most creative player David Dunn had picked up an injury in the opening exchanges, but since he is set to miss this match as well, Rovers are unlikely to improve on their showing against the Toffees. Vince Grella remains sidelined with injury, which means young Phil Jones will continue in midfield. Blackburn have lost last five games at St Andrews’ and the odds are the poor run will continue at least for one more game.

Conclusion

Birmingham are a force to be reckoned with at St Andrews’, especially when playing bottom table teams and no wonder they have beaten Blackburn five times in a row at home. Rovers are absolutely awful on their travels and with Dunn and Grella being sorely missed, there’s no way they’ll be able to get something from this game. Birmingham to win looks like one of the best free betting predictions this weekend.

Verdict: Home win Birmingham (1)

Best Odds: 13/10

Bookmaker: Paddy Power