«Реал Мадрид» преподаст урок «АПОЭЛю». Ставки на матч «Челси» – «Бенфика».

Футбол. Лига Чемпионов. 1/4 Финала.

Реал Мадрид – АПОЭЛ (счет первого матча 3:0). Для парней с острова Кипр поездка в Мадрид не сулит ничегоHiguain Ronaldo 1 300x214 «Реал Мадрид» преподаст урок «АПОЭЛю». Ставки на матч «Челси»   «Бенфика».  хорошего. Ну, посудите сами, на своем поле АПОЭЛ пропустил 3 мяча! Тут впору белый флаг выбрасывать, ан нет, есть регламент и надо провести еще 90 минут на «Сантьяго Бернабеу».

Во что может превратиться этот матч, полностью зависит от самого «Реала». В игре не примут участие Хедира, Карвалью и Диарра, но положа руку на сердце, мы можем сказать, что даже отсутствие Криштиану Роналду и Карима Бензема, не стали бы серьезным основанием для повышения шансов АПОЭЛя 23.00.

Ну а когда мотивацию брать неоткуда, то на первый план выходит «великий и ужасный» Жозе Моуринью. Португальский специалист заявил, что пресса сознательно хочет испортить микроклимат в «Реале». Он в очередной раз опроверг новость о своем переходе в «Манчестер Сити», а известия о переходе Касильяса в «Шальке 04», как и Игуаина в «Малагу» назвал выдумкой.

Гонсало Игуаин не первый год является «разменной монетой» в области слухов, практически сразу после появления в клубе в 2006 году его стали «обменивать или продавать». Так что новость о его обмене на Серхио Агуэро из «Манчестер Сити» я сразу советую не воспринимать всерьез.

Количество голов в этом матче всецело зависит от настроения «Реала» 1.07. Возможны и новые рекорды результативности в истории 1/4 Финала…

Все, что может спасти АПОЭЛ, так это нежелание «Мадрида» тратить силы перед игрой в чемпионате с «Валенсией».

Челси – Бенфика (счет первого матча 1:0). Я думаю, что этот матч точно будет более рейтинговым сегодняшним вечером, так как «избиение младенца» мало кому будет интересно. Зато в Лондоне борьбы будет хоть отбавляй. Я даже не исключу появления красной карточки в руках арбитра.

Роберто ди Маттео в короткий срок может справиться с тем, что не удалось Виллашу-Боашу за почти целый сезон: Фернандо Торрес начал напоминать себя 2 летней давности, ветераны пришли в норму, ну а Саломон Калу так и вовсе начал забивать победные голы, в то время как у предыдущего тренера просиживал на лавке.

Кто победит в этой паре совершенно непонятно, но в любом случае в полуфинале его будет ждать «Барселона».

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Is Manchester City’s title bid over?

The last round of fixtures dealt a body-blow to Manchester City’s hopes of landing their first league title since 1968, but is the top prize now out of reach for Roberto Mancini’s expensively assembled side?

Earlier in the campaign it looked as if City were going to storm the title but with just one win in their last four league fixtures, it seems safe to say nerves are starting to jangle at the Etihad Stadium, while fierce rivals Manchester United have, predictably, hit top form at exactly the right time.

The Old Trafford outfit have recorded nine victories in their last 10 Premier League games and have won their last seven on the spin, to take a five-point lead at the top of the title with just seven games remaining.

Manchester United are now 1/8 to secure the Premier League title this season with Totesport, while City can be backed at 5/1.

However, Mancini hasn’t given up on the top domestic prize just yet, but he concedes City need to win all seven of their remaining fixtures if they are to seal Premier League glory.

“We have seven games – 21 points. I think with 92 points we will win the title,” explained the Italian

“We should be strong, I believe always. The message is always the same – we will do everything to win this title.”

On paper United certainly have the easier run-in, but it is getting to that stage of the season where strange results crop up as the various sides battle for either European football or survival.

Indeed, United’s next two fixtures are against two sides battling the drop.  The Old Trafford outfit host QPR on Sunday and travel to Wigan on April 11, with both the Rs and the Latics deep in trouble there is the potential for an upset – and both are capable of taking points from the top sides, as QPR demonstrated with their win over Arsenal and Wigan with their recent win over Liverpool.

United then host Aston Villa, who are in danger of being dragged into the relegation battle, and Everton – a side who have managed to upset Sir Alex Ferguson’s men in the past, and a team who thrive on the big occasion against the best in the league.

The Manchester derby then takes place at the Etihad Stadium in April 30, in what will be a must-win encounter if City are still involved in the hunt for the title.

United’s final two games see them host Swansea before a trip to Sunderland on the final day of the campaign, with neither the Swans or the Black Cats in danger of relegation or in a position to challenge for European football.

City’s run in sees them travel to Arsenal this weekend, and the Gunners are also in desperate need of the points as they continue their battle for a top four finish.

Mancini’s side then host West Brom and face trips to Norwich and Wolves before they host their title rivals. City travel to Newcastle in the penultimate game of the season before they host QPR on the final day, in what could be a huge fixture for both teams as the west London outfit may need to get a result to avoid an immediate return to the Championship.

United are certainly in the driving seat, but a former star may come back to haunt them.  Carlos Tevez has now found a path back into the City first-team and if the Argentine striker can find the kind of form he displayed last season after a spell in the wilderness, or the golf-courses in Argentina if widespread reports are to be believed, the Etihad Stadium outfit could yet come out on top, but they are relying on a United slip-up.

The Old Trafford side are 1/6 to beat QPR this weekend, a win for the Hoops is 12/1 and the draw is 5/1.

Manchester City are 13/8 to secure a win at the Emirates on Sunday against an Arsenal side who are unbeaten at home since January 22, when United sealed a 2-1 win in north London.  The hosts are 11/8 to take all three points and the draw can be backed at 11/5.

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Unburdened Torres could fire

Having established a 1-0 advantage with a spirited first-leg performance in Portugal, Chelsea will look to hold Benfica at bay in the return tie and book their place in the Champions League semi-finals (Chelsea 4/6, draw 11/4, Benfica 9/2 – 90 minutes).

Chelsea v Benfica

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba is priced 7/2 to put daylight between the two sides and grab the first goal of the tie, but faces a race against time to prove his fitness after missing the win over Aston Villa on Saturday with a toe injury.

One man who did play in that game, and indeed score, was Drogba’s strike partner, Fernando Torres, who netted for the first time in the league since September. A goal can do wonders for a player’s confidence and, at 4/1 to score the first goal, the Spaniard may be worth your consideration.

Benfica bounced back from their first leg defeat to Chelsea with a stoppage-time victory over Sporting Braga. The dramatic win over their title rivals should provide Jorge Jesus’ men with a timely morale boost and the 12/1 about them to win Wednesday’s match 1-0 (correct score) and take the tie into extra time seems generous.

The Portguese side’s away form in Europe hasn’t been brilliant, but their two goals at Old Trafford earlier in the campaign knocked Manchester United out of Europe and shows that they’re capable of scoring goals on English soil.

Real Madrid v APOEL

APOEL Nicosia are not fancied to get the goals they need at the Bernabeu and upset a Real Madrid outfit that won the first leg in Cyprus 3-0, and on Saturday put five past Osasuna.

If Real can get the first goal then expect the trail-blazing Cyrpriots to crumble. The Spaniards are at 5/1 to win the tie 3-0, while Karim Benzema, who got Real off the mark on the weekend, is at 2/1 to score the first goal.

If APOEL do manage to sneak a goal then Brazillian striker Ailton is likely to be the man to get it. The striker has struck seven times in the Champions League already this season and, with Spain’s capital club having failed to keep a clean sheet in their last five La Liga matches, at 9/2 to score anytime, he could be worth consideration.

If Ailton scores the game’s first goal but Real go on to win the match then some attractive looking odds are available. Ailton to score first and Real to win 2-1 is available at 225/1, as is the Ailton and 3-1 scorecast selection.

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Ставки на матч «Барселона» – «Милан». «Марсель» едет за подвигом в Мюнхен.

Футбол. Лига Чемпионов. 1/4 Финала.

Барселона – Милан (счет первого матча 0:0). Все прекрасно понимают, что чем команда более мастеровитее, тем сложнее обыграть её в двухматчевом противостоянии. Но одноMessi scored 1 300x222 Ставки на матч «Барселона»   «Милан». «Марсель» едет за подвигом в Мюнхен. дело мастеровитая команда, а совсем другое – «Барселона» 1.28, которая порой показывает такой уровень игры, что некоторым это кажется непостижимым.

Как доказывает чемпионат Испании, даже «сине-гранатовых» можно обыграть в одном отдельно взятом матче.«Милан», в свою очередь, при помощи домашнего матча на «Сан-Сиро» смог эту задачу даже облегчить, так как счет 0:0 позволяет «россонери» 8.50 довольствоваться любой результативной ничьей.

Другое дело, что играть на ничью с «Барсой» – утопия. И я думаю, Массимилиано Аллегри хорошо это понимает. Сегодня вечером мы увидим хрестоматийный пример итальянской обороны в сочетании с разящими контратаками! Обладая Златаном Ибрагимиовичем, «Милан» может смело «закидывать» длинный передачи на 50-60 метров.
Все это прекрасно понимает и Хосеп Гвардиола, который заявил, что «Милан» обладает всеми силами, чтобы доминировать в матче с его командой…

По поводу доминирования – это, конечно, красивый реверанс в сторону великого итальянского клуба, так как в этой встрече владение мячом в исполнении испанцев будет приближаться к 80%.

Златан Ибрагимович не мог не оказаться в центре внимания перед такой встречей, уж больно многое его связывает с «Барселоной». Швед югославского происхождения заявил, что Леонель Месси – это пример природного таланта, а Криштиану Роналду плод каждодневных тренировок. По мнению Златана, страшно представить, как бы играл аргентинец, если бы использовал правую ногу так же, как и левую.

Мой прогноз на матч таков – это самый подходящий момент для «Милана» произвести необыкновенно громкую сенсацию европейского сезона. Я думаю, победить им не удастся, а вот 1:1 – вполне вероятный счет.

Бавария – Олимпик Марсель ( счет первого матча 2:0). Счет первого матча не оставляет много вариантов для французов 10.00. Им придется играть в открытый футбол, а как мы знаем, делать это с «Баварией» 1.25 – смерти подобно. Но что поделать, если вы проиграли на своем поле с разницей в 2 мяча.

Шансы на проход «Баварии» в следующий этап даже большие, нежели победа «Барселоны» над «Миланом».

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Messi to break Milan hearts

After a stalemate at the San Siro, Barcelona – and their star playmaker, Lionel Messi – will be out book their place in the Champions League semi-finals with a win over AC Milan (Barcelona 2/7, draw 9/2, AC Milan 10/1 – 90 minutes).

The second-leg at the Nou Camp will give the Catalan giants the chance to make up for what was a below-par performance in Italy last month.

Much has been made about the state of the pitch at the San Siro in the first encounter between these two sides, with Barca unhappy with what they believe were tactics to stop them playing their passing game.

On the pristine surface at the Nou Camp, which is akin to greens we will see at Augusta for the Masters this week, Barcelona (6/5 Champions League outright) will have no problems playing their own free-flowing football that will make Milan work hard for a sniff of the ball.

The likes of Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta were kept off the scoresheet during the first leg, as Milan produced a dogged performance to stop the La Liga outfit getting that crucial away goal.

With the fact that goals could count as double for Milan (22/1 Champions League outright) when they make the trip to Spain, will be a worrying factor for Barca mastermind Pep Guardiola.

And there were chances for AC strikers Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho in the first-leg, so the home side will have to be extra vigilant in defence if they don’t want to get stung by their Serie A opposition this week.

The last time Milan played away from home in the Champions League they were played off the park by Arsenal at the Emirates.

In that 3-0 defeat to the Gunners, Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri saw his side go from an accomplished European outfit to a rabble, who allowed Arsenal to dominate proceeding in north London and the Premier League side were unlucky not to go through.

Milan will have learned lessons from that but it?s hard to look past Barcelona reaching the semi-finals, especially on a decent pitch at the Nou Camp.

In Tuesday’s other quarter-final encounter, Bayern Munich have the task of seeing off the job against Marseille at the Allianz Arena (Bayern 2/7, draw 9/2, Milan 10/190 minutes).

The Bundesliga giants made light work of beating  their Ligue 1 opponents in the first leg in the south of France and are deservedly firm favourites to go through to the next round, to most likely face Real Madrid.

With Mario Gomez, Frank Ribery and Arjen Robben, who is coming back into form, Bayern (9/2 Champions League outright) should have no problem in seeing out their 2-0 advantage from the first-leg.

Marseille manager Didier Deschamps would surely be out of a job were it not for his side’s Champions League journey, considering their miserable form in recent weeks.

Bayern supporters should have no fears of not only going through to the final four of the competition on Tuesday but also winning the game on the night in Bavaria.

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Messi to break Milan hearts

After a stalemate at the San Siro, Barcelona – and their star playmaker, Lionel Messi – will be out book their place in the Champions League semi-finals with a win over AC Milan (Barcelona 2/7, draw 9/2, AC Milan 10/1 – 90 minutes).

The second-leg at the Nou Camp will give the Catalan giants the chance to make up for what was a below-par performance in Italy last month.

Much has been made about the state of the pitch at the San Siro in the first encounter between these two sides, with Barca unhappy with what they believe were tactics to stop them playing their passing game.

On the pristine surface at the Nou Camp, which is akin to greens we will see at Augusta for the Masters this week, Barcelona (6/5 Champions League outright) will have no problems playing their own free-flowing football that will make Milan work hard for a sniff of the ball.

The likes of Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta were kept off the scoresheet during the first leg, as Milan produced a dogged performance to stop the La Liga outfit getting that crucial away goal.

With the fact that goals could count as double for Milan (22/1 Champions League outright) when they make the trip to Spain, will be a worrying factor for Barca mastermind Pep Guardiola.

And there were chances for AC strikers Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho in the first-leg, so the home side will have to be extra vigilant in defence if they don’t want to get stung by their Serie A opposition this week.

The last time Milan played away from home in the Champions League they were played off the park by Arsenal at the Emirates.

In that 3-0 defeat to the Gunners, Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri saw his side go from an accomplished European outfit to a rabble, who allowed Arsenal to dominate proceeding in north London and the Premier League side were unlucky not to go through.

Milan will have learned lessons from that but it?s hard to look past Barcelona reaching the semi-finals, especially on a decent pitch at the Nou Camp.

In Tuesday’s other quarter-final encounter, Bayern Munich have the task of seeing off the job against Marseille at the Allianz Arena (Bayern 2/7, draw 9/2, Milan 10/190 minutes).

The Bundesliga giants made light work of beating  their Ligue 1 opponents in the first leg in the south of France and are deservedly firm favourites to go through to the next round, to most likely face Real Madrid.

With Mario Gomez, Frank Ribery and Arjen Robben, who is coming back into form, Bayern (9/2 Champions League outright) should have no problem in seeing out their 2-0 advantage from the first-leg.

Marseille manager Didier Deschamps would surely be out of a job were it not for his side’s Champions League journey, considering their miserable form in recent weeks.

Bayern supporters should have no fears of not only going through to the final four of the competition on Tuesday but also winning the game on the night in Bavaria.

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Terriers to get teeth into O’s

Huddersfield Town travel to Leyton Orient looking to use their game in hand to keep their automatic promotion hopes alive and Brentford’s play-off aspirations could be bolstered by a victory over Oldham at Griffin Park in Tuesday’s League One games (totesport – League One).

Terriers chief Simon Grayson was left disappointed after the side slipped to the first defeat of his tenure on Saturday as play-off chasing Carlisle ran out 2-1 winners at Brunton Park.

As a result it is imperative that the west Yorkshiremen take advantage of their game in hand on the sides above them to seal a win at the Matchroom Stadium which would take them to within five points of Sheffield United in the second automatic promotion place (Huddersfield 7/4 Promotion).

Grayson has no fresh injury worries ahead of the trip to London as Calum Woods missed Saturday’s game at Carlisle with a slight groin niggle, while Gary Naysmith, Oscar Gobern and Damien Johnson are also still sidelined.

And, despite Orient enjoying a better head-to-head record on their own patch, Town have won three and drawn one of their last four games in the Capital so will travel in confident mood.

Russell Slade’s O’s need points for different reasons as they bid to extend the five-point gap between themselves and the bottom four relegation places following a run of just two wins in their last 10 games.

Defender Scott Cuthbert will miss out on Tuesday night after he injured his hamstring during their defeat against League One leaders Charlton on Saturday, but loan left back Ryan Dickson should return in his place after serving a suspension over the weekend.

Leon McSweeney missed Saturday’s game with a calf injury, whereas winger Jamal Campbell-Ryce was also out with an ankle injury and it is unlikely either will return to face the Terriers.

The O’s scored twice in the final five minutes as they stormed back from two-down to secure a point in the corresponding fixture earlier in the season and will look to get something from the game.

But with Huddersfield knowing that time is running out if they are going to reach the Championship without going through the lottery of the play-offs, we fancy them to nick the points in this one.

Prediction: Away Win 90 Minutes @ 11/10
Value Bet: Huddersfield To Win 2-1 Correct Score @ 8/1

Staying in London and Brentford can keep alive their slim play-off hopes with a fourth successive win against an Oldham side that is close to guaranteeing its League One status.

Uwe Rosler’s Bees looked set for mid-table obscurity after three successive defeats in early March.

But they have turned the form book on its head in the second half of the month with vital wins against Rochdale, Preston and MK Dons to move to within eight points of the top-six.

Their hopes of reaching the play-offs are not great even if they win all of their remaining games, but Rosler will no doubt want the players to keep their run going in order to try and hit the ground running next season.

Paul Dickov’s Oldham will arrive at Griffin Park on the back of an inconsistent month in which they started with a shock 3-2 win at Sheffield United, before losing four on the bounce.

The Latics recovered with wins against Hartlepool and Bournemouth, before slipping to successive 1-0 defeats at the hands of Leyton Orient and Notts County.

Boosted by the return of skipper Dean Furman from a lengthy lay-off at Notts County on Saturday, Dickov will be looking for a response from his players against the Bees as his side can move 10 points clear of the drop zone with a win.

Brentford ran out 2-0 winners at Boundary Park in September, but the omens are with Oldham down in London.

The Latics won this fixture 3-1 last season and picked up draws in their three previous trips to Griffin Park in the league, while Brentford’s last win on home soil came in an FA Cup replay back in December 2005.

Despite the visitors’ decent record at Brentford, we feel the Bees will be too strong and should notch up a fourth straight win.

Prediction: Home Win 90 Minutes @ 5/6
Value Bet: Draw/Brentford HT/FT @ 10/3

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United ready for Rovers return

Monday night will see Manchester United return to the ground where they secured the Premier League crown last year, as they take on Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park looking to extend their lead at the top of the table this season (Blackburn 15/2, draw 7/2, United 2/5).

With rivals Manchester City dropping points in a dramatic 3-3 draw with Sunderland at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, United have the chance to go five points clear if they can overcome a resurgent Rovers side.

The mind games between United’s manager Sir Alex Ferguson and City’s Roberto Mancini have been rife over the past few weeks, with the Italian tactician predicting their rivals will only draw their game on Monday night.

United are in fine form, though, and will be fully expected to get three points against Blackburn, as they have notched up nine wins in their last 10 games.

The defending Premier League champions did come unstuck against Rovers at Old Trafford, when these two teams met earlier in the season in what was one of the shock results of the season.

United could welcome back Rio Ferdinand, as the veteran defender has recovered from a back injury and will be able to add his vast experience to the back-four.

Ferguson has challenged Wayne Rooney (5/2 First Goalscorer) to continue his fine form by scoring a goal in every game for the rest of the campaign.

The former Everton star scored a crucial penalty to help United secure their 19th league title last year and will be looking to get his name on the scoresheet again at Ewood Park, to help the club make a big step towards taking number 20.

By no means will the league’s frontrunners have it all their own way, as Rovers manager Steve Kean has got his side battling hard in games as they fight for their lives near the bottom of the table.

With just goal difference separating Blackburn from a place in the relegation zone, every game in crucial for the men from Ewood Park they will not writing this game off as unwinnable.

Results over the weekend have not helped their cause and their defeat to local rivals Bolton in their last outing will not have done their confidence any good.

However, Blackburn do have some quality players dotted around their squad and none more so than their striker Yakubu (8/1 First Goalscorer) and the young an exciting talent David Hoilett.

This duo are likely to cause the likes of Ferdinand problems at the back so don’t be surprised to see either name on the scoresheet on Monday night.

Both teams have so much to play for at either end of the table, so these games can go either way at this the business end of the Premier League season.

However, on their current form, Mancini’s prediction of a draw looks unlikely and United should extend their lead at the top of the table with another win, with games running out for City.

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Back Blues to continue play-off charge

Birmingham’s 54th game of a already jam-packed season sees them travel to Lancashire on Tuesday to take on Eddie Howe’s Burnley, who are hoping to end a disappointing season on a high.

Following last season’s relegation, this campaign has seen a period of rapid change at Birmingham, with a raft of players taking their Premier League wages elsewhere and even their manager, Alex McLeish, jumping ship to their near neighbours Aston Villa.

With last season’s Carling Cup success meaning Europa League football this season, new manager Chris Hughton has had to juggle a busy domestic and European schedule as well as rebuilding a squad dismantled following relegation.

It is to his credit then that the Blues are well in contention for a play-off place. Last weekend’s 3-1 win at Doncaster lifted them fourth, with race for a top six spot becoming increasingly frantic.

Burnley, meanwhile, will be disappointed not to have been competing at the top end of the Championship this year. They were in the Premier League only two years ago but have failed to re-adapt to the rigours of the second tier since relegation.

Manager Brian Laws was sacked in December 2010 after a poor start to that campaign and highly-rated boss Eddie Howe was brought in from Bournemouth to guide the Clarets up the table. An eventual 8th place finish raised hopes of a sustained promotion push this campaign.

However, they find themselves well out of the play-off picture down in 16th place – well clear of relegation trouble but 10 points off the top six.

They will go into this game full of confidence after a 5-1 hammering of relegation-threatened Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Saturday – their first win in eight games – as Howe aims for a strong finish to a below par year.

Their form at Turf Moor is a concern and a principal reason for their lowly league position. Only four sides have won less games on their home ground the Burnley this season. They have, however, only conceded 22 goals on home turf, with only two sides in the bottom half conceding less.

Those stats therefore would point to a narrow Birmingham victory but it pays to note that the Midlanders have built their promotion challenge on solid home form rather than away results; with 11 wins, eight draws and just one defeat at St Andrew’s this season. On the road they have already lost nine games – more than any other side in the top ten.

With poor home form meeting poor away form, making an accurate forecast is tricky, but with the season reaching its conclusion, City’s push for the play-offs could prove decisive.

Their spot in the play-off places is only secured by goal difference, with Blackpool, Brighton and Middlesbrough all joining the Blues on 63 points. Therefore the chance to move three points clear is one City will be loathed to turn down.

Therefore our tip is a narrow 1-0 to the Blues priced at 6/1, with the draw/Birmingham HT/FT forecast also worth considering at 9/2.

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