Birmingham v Newcastle Betting Preview – FA Cup 7th January 3.00pm
This could be a tight match up at St Andrews. Newcastle have bigger fish to fry this season as they are on the hunt for Premier League football next season. However, Rafa Benitez’s men didn’t have the best festive period, so this could be a chance to rest some players for their trip to the Midlands. Birmingham are strolling along out of form with just the one win in their last six games played. Could they possibly pull off a cup upset if the Magpies are indeed far more interested in ensuring that they are playing top flight football next term? Who will win the battle of this all-Championship affair?
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Birmingham v Newcastle Betting Tips
It has not exactly been the best of managerial starts for Gianfranco Zola at Birmingham. He took over mid December and is still looking for his first win with the club. Birmingham are stuck in the bottom half of the Championship and are out of form with just the one win in their last six games played. So this is a tough game for them and they have struggled for form against the Magpies as well. Birmingham have not won any of the last twelve meetings between the two clubs and just before Zola took over in December, they went to St James’ Park in a Championship match up and lost 4-0. So they are heavy underdogs for this FA Cup tie. However the last time that they did meet Newcastle in the competition was in January 2007 and the Blues won a replay at St James Park 5-1.
But you have to look at the current form and the Blues have failed to hit the back of the net in two of their last three against Newcastle now. You can go with a shot of 4/5 at Ladbrokes on the game going under the 2.5 goal line or there is the 11/5 price on a Newcastle to win to nil wager. So does Birmingham’s home from stand up to suggest that they could nick something special here? Not really because they have suffered a loss in three of their last four home games now and shipped nine goals in that sequence of matches. The Blues are going to be at risk at the back as they have taken just the one clean sheet at home in their last seven at St Andrews, but they have themselves scored in 11 of their last 12 home games in all competitions. A Both teams to score option is 4/5 at Ladbrokes. Birmingham lost at this stage last season against Bournemouth.
So Birmingham do have a tough game on their hands here and perhaps their only way into this tie would be if Newcastle rest players. The Magpies have already lost some players to the Africa Cup of Nations. Newcastle have been on a promotion title since early in the season and they have a bigger priority there. However, they have lost two of their last three games played now and since the end of November have only gone W4 D1 L4 across all competitions. Out on the road Newcastle have won just two of their last five played away from St James’ Park, but each of the last five victories that they have recorded on the road, they have scored exactly two goals in. A Newcastle 2-1 correct score at Ladbrokes is a price of 15/2. In the anytime goalscorer market Dwight Gayle is trading as 6/5 outright favorite and he fired off a hat trick against the Blues earlier in the season. Newcastle have netted only one goal in their last five FA Cup games and have gone out at this stage in each of the last four seasons.
Birmingham v Newcastle Betting Odds
Newcastle 10/11, Draw 27/10, Birmingham 10/3
Birmingham v Newcastle Predictions
Birmingham may scrap along and keep themselves in this one. However at the end of the day, they are likely to just get edged out of things by Newcastle. The Magpies have faltered at this stage in the last few seasons, but should just have enough in them to get through this one by a one goal margin. The Blues haven’t quite been at the races enough to suggest that they are going to cause an upset.
