England - Premier League: West Ham vs Birmingham The Hammers slipped into the relegation zone having lost to Burnley at Turf Moor and they have every reason to fear for survival. Birmingham, on the other hand, cemented the 8th place in the standings with the derby win over Wolverhampton and they enter this match without any pressure.
West Ham in big problems
West Ham have been in the danger zone from the very start of the season but everyone expected them to turn the season around in no time. However, that did not happen as Hammers recorded just 4 wins in 24 league games and they are now in the relegation zone after losing to fellow strugglers Burnley. We still believe Gianfranco Zola’s side have too much quality to go down but unless they start proving their potential on the pitch, they will get relegated. The hosts have to do everything they can to win this match and we have no doubts they will go all guns blazing at Birmingham, who will be looking to hit the Hammers on the break. Seeing that we expect to see an open game, backing both teams to score at 2.00 offered by Blue Square looks like the right thing to do.
Gianfranco Zola should have Guille Franco back to the squad after the striker recovered from a hamstring strain but Danny Gabbidon and Kieron Dyer remain injury doubts. Carlton Cole and Benny McCarthy are again set to start up front, while Mido and Ilan will wait for their chance from the bench. We should, therefore, see the same side that started the Burnley game, although West Ham fans are hoping this match will have a different outcome for their side.
Kevin Phillips an unlikely saviour
Having already ensured survival, Birmingham are playing without any pressure and that is producing excellent results. The Blues didn’t panic even when they were a goal down against Wolves and they managed to overturn the deficit thanks to veteran striker Kevin Phillips, who scored a brace after bring introduced in the second half. Alex McLeish’s side will now try to keep things tight at the back and hit West Ham on the break as that kind of approach has brought them quite a few points from the travels so far. Therefore, we see a good value in backing Birmingham to score in the second half at odds of 1.95 offered by Sportingbet.
Alex McLeish is the manager who rarely makes changes to the starting line-up as the team that played against Wolves started almost every single game this season. This is why players like Phillips, Fahey, Michel and Gardner cannot really expect to be in the starting line-up against West Ham and they will have to be content with the place on the bench. Nevertheless, after scoring a brace against Wolves, the veteran striker is likely to play some part in this match and you should be aware Paddy Power pays 3.75 on Phillips to score.
Betting verdict
West Ham are in big problems at the moment and they desperately need a win to kick-start their season but they face a difficult task against rock-solid Birmingham. The hosts are expected to have the upper hand but they will need a lot of time to break the Blues and betting on draw at half-time looks like the best choice here.
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