English Premier
2010-03-27 - Birmingham City vs Arsenal
A Sports Betting Pick by Addicted
Football : England : Premier League
Saturday 27th March 2010 – Kickoff 3pm
None of the other top 4 teams have managed to win at St. Andrews. Win or bust for the Arsenal here. Will they make it 7 straight wins?
Birmingham City
Alex McLeish has been overachieveing for a while now, and perhaps his time has run out. On an unbeaten home run since that lost to Bolton 5 months ago, they now face an Arsenal side they will do well to hold to only a goal. Arsenal seem to play just as well even when reduced to 10 men, so they won’t have an easy task here, despite the absence of Vermaelen.
Their last 3 matches have seen them scrape a draw from 2-0 down, followed by two straight losses. They now play their 3rd game in the space of 7 days, and surely won’t have enough in the tank to cope with Arsenal’s pace and intensity up front.
Their two recent losses have however come on the road, and the Brum will be happy to come back home, where they have picked up 27 of their 44 points season total. The problem is, while they haven’t really been humbled at home by the big sides, they haven’t really picked up any notable wins against top quality opposition either. Their biggest win against a top 10 side was when they beat a then struggling Fulham. United and Chelsea were both admirably held to a draw, but even Tottenham and Everton managed to pick up a point.
There are two ways to look at a coin, and from where I’m seeing it, this is a side that can’t really put away a top quality team, although they can make themselves a nuisance. They'll need a big big effort to get something out of this game, and that means playing hard for the whole 90 mins. I'm not so confident they'll hold up for that long.
Arsenal
With the world greedily eyeing up the midweek Champions League match with Barcelona for what will no doubt be a masterclass in football, it would be easy to overlook what is potentially the mother of all banana skins.
Camouflaged within Arsenal’s “easy run-in” is a trip to Birmingham, where even the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United have come unstuck. No top 4 side has come away with a win, and Arsenal arrive here knowing, surely, that only the full 3 points will do.
The reverse fixture ended 3-1 to Arsenal, so the psychological edge belongs to the Gunners. The north Londoners will have their confidence further strengthened by their recent performances away from home, picking up wins where they would have normally faltered in recent years.
Other than Sunderland, Arsenal have not lost to opposition from outside the sides fighting for a place in Europe. In recent years, Arsenal have done doubles over the likes of United, only to see the Red Devils capture the title, and it was mainly down to the Gunners dropping points against the mediocre sides.
The play is no longer inconsistent, with Arsenal either rolling teams over, or fighting until the last few seconds to steal the win. Either way, Arsene’s team is finally getting into the habit of picking up wins consistently, no matter how they play. When betting on a team, this is the most important quality to look for.
Other than those 2 back to back losses to United and Chelsea, Arsenal have been perfect. They have won 6 straight games, and the goals are coming from pretty much everywhere, with their confidence sky high. The side play Barcelona in 3 days, but I just know, for once, this team is looking no further than the trip to Birmingham.
Arsenal need to win to keep the pressure up on Chelsea and United, and will play this game like it’s a cup final. Wenger will play the same team as last week, with the exception of Vermaelen, so expect Song to continue in back with Sol. Bendtner has been passed fit, and Eduardo will play too, so perhaps a bet on them to score would be a good choice.
The Betting Verdict :
Birmingham has not been kind to visitors this season, but recent results show that perhaps it’s all catching up with them, as they begin to let in goals and drop games. The home record only means something if the home sides recent form is still good, but it isn’t.
Birmingham are low on confidence, their form faltering, which is pretty much the opposite of Arsenal. The young Gunners have the kind of self-belief and hunger not seen in the team since the Invincibles.
I don’t expect Arsenal to let up until the final whistle and that can only mean one thing. Away win.
The Statistics :
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BEST BETTING TIP :
Take Arsenal to win at 1.60 (Pinnacle) – Main Bet(include in acca with Tottenham @ 2.00)
Handicap Betting Result - Match Tied (Birmingham +1) @ 3.60 (Bet365)
(wins if Arsenal win by a 1 goal margin)
