Our prediction for this Championship match:
St. Andrew’s Stadium will be the center of attention when Birmingham City and Leeds United go head to head in the Championship round 2. The Blues kicked off the new season with a 1-1 draw against Swansea and they head into Saturday’s clash following the EFL Cup win over Cheltenham Town. Curacao forward Juninho Bacuna is widely expected to keep his place in the starting XI after scoring a brace in the midweek triumph, while boss John Eustace has no fresh injury worries.
The Whites, on the other hand, dropped two points in a 2-2 draw with Cardiff City in their opener, but they showed character in a come-from-behind EFL Cup win over Shrewsbury. Dutch defender Pascal Struijk is pushing for a start after sealing the victory against the Shrews, while the likes of Tyler Adams, Junior Firpo, Jack Harrison, Patrick Bamford, Sam Greenwood, and Stuart Dallas remain in the recovery room. Anyhow, both teams to score betting option should be considered as both sides are brimming with confidence following their EFL Cup success.
Highlighted Player (Patrick Bamford):
Known for his technical ability and versatility, Patrick Bamford is an English professional footballer who plays for Leeds United in the Championship. The 6ft tall forward who was born in Grantham, Lincolnshire, is a Nottingham Forest youth product and signed his first professional with the club in 2011. He made his professional debut, playing for the Reds in a 0-1 home defeat to Cardiff on the 31st of December, 2011.
Bamford's career then took him to Premier League giants Chelsea with whom he signed a five year deal worth 1.5 million pounds on the 31st of January, 2012. His time at the Blues included loan spells at clubs like Milton Keynes Dons, Derby County, Middlesborough, Crystal Palace, Norwich, and Burnley. He scored his first professional goal while playing for Milton against Crewe Alexandra on the 19th of March, 2013. In January 2017, Bamford permanently left Chelsea to reunite with Middlesborough on a four-and-a-half-year deal. In his second spell, Bamford made 47 appearances for the club and scored 12 goals.
The Striker followed up by joining Championship side Leeds United for the 18/19 season and is currently on a four-and-a-half-year contract with the club. Born on the 5th of September, 1993, the 26-year-old initially featured for the Republic of Ireland under-18 team before switching to represent England for whom he's gone on to serve at the under-18, under-19, and the under-21 level.
Highlighted Team (Birmingham City):
Birmingham City are a club located in the city of Birmingham, England. Birmingham City were founded in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, but the club’s named was changed to Small Heath in 1888. 17 years later they became Birmingham and in 1943 they finally changed their name to Birmingham City.
The Blues welcome their rivals at St. Andrew’s, the stadium that was opened in 1906. Birmingham City compete in the Championship and their fiercest rivals are WBA and Aston Villa. The Blues made it to the FA Cup final twice, but they have yet to win the prestigious trophy. In 1931 they were beaten by their local rivals WBA in the title game (1-2), whilst in 1956 they were outplayed by Manchester City in the title game.
The colour of Birmingham’s home kit is blue with white stripe. Trevor Francis, Gil Merrick, Bob Latchford, Jeff Hall, Alex Govan, Joe Bradford and Christophe Dugarry are notable footballers who played for the St. Andrew’s outfit in the past.