Norwich City VS Birmingham City Match Prediction
- 2019-01-18
- 19:45:00
Draw will win this match.
In 47 prior meetings, this tie has been a very close-run thing. Norwich lead ever so slightly with 18 wins, 17 losses, and 12 draw so far.
Here's a look at the last five results:
Aug 4, 2018: Birmingham 2-2 Norwich
Dec 26, 2017: Birmingham 0-2 Norwich
Sep 9, 2017: Norwich 1-0 Birmingham
Jan 28, 2017: Norwich 2-0 Birmingham
Aug 27, 2016: Birmingham 3-0 Norwich
%HEAD-TO-HEAD-STATS-BANNER%
Bet365 have the following odds available for this match:
Norwich are at 4/5 to win, a draw is at 12/5, and a Birmingham win is at 15/4.
Norwich City will come into the 28th round of fixtures in third in the table with 50 points. They are currently level with Sheffield United, but they are behind on goal difference. That means if it were the end of the season, they’d miss out on automatic promotion and end up in the playoffs. Despite that lofty standing, they have not won any of their last four in the division and have no wins in their last five in all comps. Birmingham have a similar kind of story. They are in eighth place on 39 points, and are just four points off sixth place Derby County. However, they have failed to win any of their last three in the Championship, meaning they need to get going if they want to stay in the race for much longer.
At home, Norwich have been one of the best sides in the Championship at racking up points. They have amassed 25 of them in 13 matches through eight wins, a draw, and four losses. They have struggled in their last two home outings, gaining just a point to their credit. They will need to get back to their previous form if they are to nail down one of the top two places. As for Birmingham, their away record has them in the middle of the division thus far with 17 points earned from 13 matches. They have four wins, five draws, and four losses, but they have not lost any of their last four (2 wins and 2 draws). That could bode well for them ahead of this trip to Norwich.
Betfair have Pukki at 2.1 odds to score anytime.
Both teams to score can be had for 5/6 at Ladbrokes.
On paper, Norwich City are the better side here. They are higher in the table and they have had the rub of the green against the Blues for a couple of years. However, they haven’t been able to get it over the line recently, and they might just have to settle for a draw yet again.
Daniel Farke looks set to have a full team to pick from here, but he will have a couple of players walking the disciplinary tightrope as another yellow card for Alexander Tettey or Emiliano Buendia would mean a suspension.
In Teemu Pukki, Norwich have one of the most dangerous strikers in the entire division. His 15 goals so far is good enough for a tie for third. On top of his goal scoring exploits, he has bagged five assists as well to demonstrate a willingness to affect the game in an entirely different manner. Onel Hernandez is another to watch from the wing. The German has created ten goals in the Championship via six assists of his own and four goals scored, and he will be one to watch here.
Norwich have three draws and two losses in their last five matches:
1-1 draw at West Brom
0-1 home loss vs Portsmouth (FA Cup)
1-1 draw at Brentford
3-4 home loss vs Derby County
3-3 home draw vs Nottingham Forest
Garry Monk is missing center midfielder David Davis due to an ankle injury at the moment. The likes of Craig Gardner, Harlee Dean, and Kristian Pedersen will have to be careful as they are on four yellow cards and will draw a suspension if they pick up another.
Birmingham City pack a huge punch up front with their duo of strikers. On one hand, you have Lukas Jutkiewicz. He has had a hand in 19 goals directly, scoring ten times and assisting nine of them as well. The other man is Che Adams, who has scored 13 times. He’s more of a direct threat to score than Jutkiewicz, but when they are paired together it is tough to hold them both down.
Birmingham have two losses, two draws, and a win in their last five matches:
1-2 home loss vs Middlesbrough
2-0 loss at West Ham (FA Cup)
1-1 draw at Sheffield Wednesday
0-0 home draw vs Brentford
2-0 home win vs Stoke City