Southampton will be aiming to maintain their recent good form as they host Birmingham City in a Championship fixture on Saturday. Birmingham have been poor lately, particularly on their travels and should struggle at St Mary’s Stadium.
Southampton are coming off a 2-2 draw with Preston North End in their midweek Championship fixture. Kyle Walker-Peters' first half effort was cancelled out by the hosts and they needed a late own-goal from Ched Evans to salvage a point.
While manager Russell Martin will be disappointed to have thrown away the lead, he will also be pleased to have avoided defeat on Wednesday. The Saints are now unbeaten in their last five matches, claiming three wins in that run, although they have still kept just one clean sheet throughout the season.
While St Mary’s Stadium has not been as much of a fortress as they would like, Southampton are still solid in front of their fans. They are unbeaten in their last two home matches with a 3-1 victory over Leeds United among their results in that run.
Birmingham City travel to St Mary’s Stadium off the back of a 2-0 defeat to Hull City in manager Wayne Rooney’s first home game in charge. They had a few chances to score but were ultimately second best to the Tigers throughout the encounter.
That was the second straight defeat for Birmingham City, who have found things difficult lately. The Blues have slipped into the bottom half of the table, although there is no relegation danger for now as they sit well clear of the bottom three.
A pressing problem for Rooney to attempt to solve this weekend is Birmingham’s recent poor record on the road. They have lost their last four Championship away matches, failing to score in three of those fixtures.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have installed Southampton as overwhelming favourites with a home win priced at 3/5 with bet365. A victory for Birmingham City is valued at 5/1 by Betfred while Paddy Power is offering odds of 3/1 for a draw.
Head to head
Southampton have a 13/10 advantage with seven draws from 37 previous matches against Birmingham City. However, the last meeting between both teams was during the 2011-12 Championship season where the Saints claimed a 4-1 victory at St Mary’s Stadium.
Players to watch
Adam Armstrong will be the one to watch for Leeds United as he looks to add to his seven Championship goals this season. The striker was on target in the home win over Leeds United and is priced at 7/5 with bet365 to find the net on Saturday.
Birmingham will be aiming to capitalise on Southampton’s defensive problems and Jay Stansfield will be the one to watch on Sunday. The forward had three goals this season and is priced at 4/1 with bet365 to add to his tally on Saturday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Southampton and Birmingham City have struggled defensively this season and both teams could be backed to score at 4/5 with Unibet. The Saints saw over 3.5 goals in their midweek fixture and a repeat is priced at 2/1 with bet365, who is also offering odds of 3/4 for over 2.5 goals.
With Southampton priced at minimal odds for a straight victory, a win and over 2.5 goals could be considered for more value at 7/5 with BoyleSports.
This England Championship match between Southampton and Birmingham City will be played on Oct 28, 2023 and kick off at 12:30. Check below for our tipsters best Southampton vs Birmingham City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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