Middlesbrough continue their push for a place in the top 10 as they travel to St Andrew's Stadium for a midweek Championship fixture with Birmingham City. Boro have shown some good form in recent weeks and should have the edge over an out of sorts Birmingham side.
Birmingham City are coming off a 1-0 defeat to Millwall in their previous Championship fixture. They attempted to put up a defensive display and held out for long periods before the hosts netted the winner on the stroke of 90 minutes.
That result extends a poor run of form for Birmingham City, who are winless in their last four matches, suffering three defeats in that run. They are also without manager Tony Mowbray who has temporarily stepped away from his duties due to illness.
Sitting just one point above the relegation zone, Birmingham City need an upturn in results, particularly at home. They have won just two of their last eight matches at St Andrew’s Stadium and were beaten 4-3 by Southampton in their previous fixture in front of their fans.
Middlesbrough travel to Birmingham off the back of a 2-0 victory over QPR in their previous Championship fixture. Following a goalless first half they burst into life after the break with Emmanuel Latte Lath and Marcus Forss getting the goals.
That was the second straight victory for Middlesbrough, who have also won three of their last five matches. They are currently 11th on the standings but still have an outside chance of making the playoffs, sitting just eight points off the top six.
Middlesbrough have also caught the eye on their recent travels, winning five of their last eight Championship away matches. Among the results for Michael Carrick’s men in that run is a 2-1 victory at leaders Leicester City.
How the bookies view it
The bookies appear to be expecting a close encounter with a win for Birmingham City priced at 7/4 with Unibet while bet365 is offering 31/20 for a Middlesbrough victory. A draw is set at odds of 5/2 by BetVictor.
Recent Head to head
Middlesbrough have dominated recent meetings against Birmingham, winning the last four matches. Boro claimed a 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture back in October.
Players to watch
Birmingham City have multiple goal threats with Jay Stansfield, Jordan James and Koji Miyoshi all among the goals in recent weeks. All three men can combine to ensure the Blues produce over 1.5 goals at 4/6 with BoyleSports.
Marcus Forss and Emmanuel Latte Lath have also impressed for Middlesbrough with both men netting two goals apiece in their last two matches. They can combine to produce over 1.5 goals at 7/10 with BoyleSports.
Anything else catch the eye?
There were over 3.5 goals in Birmingham City’s last home fixture and a repeat is priced at 15/8 with Paddy Power. Over 2.5 goals could also be considered at 3/4 with 10bet while William Hill is offering 6/10 on both teams to score.
Middlesbrough have opened the scoring in the last four meetings with Birmingham City and could be tipped to grab the first goal at 20/21 with BoyleSports.
This England Championship match between Birmingham City and Middlesbrough will be played on Mar 12, 2024 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Birmingham City vs Middlesbrough prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
