This week is basically dominated by international competitions, but the ball is also rolling in the toughest second division in the world. After all, there are no less than 46 match days to be played in the regular season, so one English week follows the next. One of the top matches on match day seven is the clash between Birmingham and Fulham.
After six rounds, the league is still very balanced and there are just three points between first and eighth place. These two teams are also in this group. Birmingham currently have eleven points, Fulham have 13 points and are in second place.
Premier League relegated Fulham are also considered by the best bookmakers as the big favourites for direct promotion, after all, the Cottagers were able to keep many stars after relegation. Therefore, it is not surprising that the current betting odds show the visitors as the clear favourites in the clash between Birmingham and Fulham. The match at St. Andrew’s Stadium in Birmingham kicks off at 20:45 on Wednesday evening.
Prediction & Live Odds for Birmingham vs. Fulham
Both teams look back on a good start to the season, nevertheless, the guest from the capital is considered the clear favourite. Not necessarily surprising, as the home side have often been embroiled in the Championship’s relegation battle in recent years, while the visitors are the big favourites for promotion. As a result, Birmingham v Fulham odds of just over 2.00 are on offer for the Cottagers to win.
The home side will try to suppress the superiority of the visitors with a lot of fighting spirit. The game will probably not be pretty to look at and chances to score will most likely be scarce. Nevertheless, the prediction for Birmingham against Fulham seems to be correct, because the higher individual quality should sooner or later tip the scales in Fulham’s favour.
Birmingham – Statistics & Current Form
Since the 2011/12 season, Birmingham have been hanging around in the second-tier Championship. In the first year after relegation, they only missed out on a direct Premier League return in the playoffs. Since then, “The Blues” have had to dither several times to avoid relegation to the third-tier League One. Tenth place in the table has been the maximum for the last nine years.
Lee Bowyer creates euphoria
Nevertheless, there is a bit of euphoria at Aston Villa’s big city rivals these days. In March 2021, Birmingham, in acute relegation trouble, presented 44-year-old ex-professional Lee Bowyer as their new head coach. Bowyer immediately brought a new wind into the club and with a strong finish, the club was finally able to celebrate another relegation.
This good form was carried over into the new season and with three wins from the first six league games of 2021/22, the first interim result is also very positive. Birmingham celebrated three wins, drew twice and only lost the home match against AFC Bournemouth.
In general, the Championship has the reputation of being the toughest second division in the world, not only because of the number of games, but also because of the way it is played. Football in England’s second division is extremely physical and many teams have room for improvement.
This also means that relatively few goals are scored. Last season, only 40.9 per cent of all games ended with a score of over 2.5, and Birmingham games averaged only 2.13 goals. This season, too, only a few goals are scored as a rule. This is also due to the very strong defence, as Birmingham conceded only three goals in six games and thus have the best defence in the league. In the top match Birmingham vs Fulham, a prediction on the Under 2.5 and “Both teams score: No” is certainly a good option.
Predicted Birmingham line-up:
Sarkic – Roberts, Dean, Pedersen – Bela, Sunjic, Woods, Colin – Hogan, Jutkiewicz, Chong
Fulham – Statistics & Current Form
In the winter transfer window, Fulham once again tried to avoid the threat of relegation by making a number of big-name loan signings. In the end, however, Scott Parker’s team missed out on staying in the league by a wide margin and had to plan ahead for the Championship.
Well-known squad for the Championship
With the Portuguese Marco Silva, a new coach was signed for the mission of re-promotion, but otherwise there were no really serious departures to cope with. Many stars like the Serbian international Aleksandar Mitrovic (already a four-time season goal scorer) remained loyal to the club. With the Welshman Harry Wilson, the Cottagers managed a king transfer who, together with Mitrovic, should score the necessary goals.
Measured by Transfermarkt ‘s market values, Fulham has by far the most valuable squad at their disposal. Regardless of these fictitious values, the objective for the former Watford and Everton coach is clear – promotion is the only thing that counts this season.
First defeat against a latecomer
In the first few weeks, Fulham were able to live up to their role as favourites in the tough Championship. After the opening draw against Middlesbrough (1-1), the team from the capital celebrated five wins in a row. In addition to the four victories in the league, Fulham also won the match in the English League Cup.
But last weekend, Fulham suffered their first setback when they were surprisingly beaten 1-0 by promoted Blackpool. For Fulham, this was only the fourth goal conceded in seven competitive games in 2021/22 and a clear indication that a concentrated performance is needed against any opponent. A reaction is now expected and given the much higher quality, Birmingham v Fulham is a perfectly reasonable prediction on the visitors.
Predicted Fulham line-up:
Gazzaniga – Robinson, Ream, Adarabioyo, Odoi – Onomah, Seri – Cavaleiro, Quina, Reid – Mitrovic
