Sunday 25th November 1200hrs Aston Villa v Birmingham City Football – England – Championship It’s known as the second city derby due to Birmingham’s position behind London in terms of the pecking order in England, but for these two sets of supporters it’s the most important and anticipated game of the season. Things could not be closer between the clubs either as both sit smack bang in mid table, level on 24 points. It means that there’s not only bragging rights on offer come kick off on Sunday, the victor can steal a march on the other and edge closer to the top six. It promises to be fiercely competitive encounter, continue reading for a match preview of Aston Villa against their old rivals Birmingham with a best bet selection.
It’s already been a dramatic season for Aston Villa with the sacking of Steve Bruce following a disappointing start and replacing him with Dean Smith who done so well at Brentford and is a lifelong supporter of the club. Since Smith coming in there has been more good than bad but there remains an inconsistency that will have to be rectified if Villa are to climb the table and challenge not only for the playoff positions, but also the automatic promotion spots which would have been their aim at the beginning of the campaign. The team have won three and lost two under Smith, with both defeats coming narrowly away from home. Two home wins against Swansea and Bolton were achieved without conceding and making Villa Park a really difficult place for visiting teams to come will surely be one of Smith’s primary objectives. However the best result thus far came on the road against Derby, winning 3-0 and setting a standard that the new manager will be demanding on a regular basis. There’s an argument that the international break came at the wrong time but it has given Smith the best part of two weeks to work with the squad ahead of Sunday’s crunch game.
Gary Monk remains a relatively young manager but he is quickly racking up his coaching jobs, especially in the Championship. When joining Birmingham in March of this year, Monk was taking charge of his fourth club in the same number of years. He led Leeds to the brink of the playoffs – a feat that earned him a shot of the Middlesbrough job which lasted six just six months as he failed to have the desired effect and challenge for automatic promotion at the Riverside. He was only out of football for a couple of months when Birmingham came calling, looking for the person to lead them to safety in the Championship. It was achieved on the final day of the season and Monk then set out to improve the fortunes and set their sights higher. It’s taken a while for the Blues to get going but we’re now seeing signs of Monk’s influence in not only making them hard to beat, but getting a winning mentality throughout the squad. The team went on an unbeaten run of 11 games and won five of them. It has given them hope of competing for the playoffs and whilst they have only taken one point from their last two games, Sunday is the perfect opportunity to get back on the winning trail.
Aston Villa v Birmingham City Betting Tip
It is one of the most bitter rivalries in English football and come noon on Sunday the atmosphere will be at fever pitch in Villa Park. The need for points for both teams is obvious and depending on results on Saturday of the teams above them, there could well be an opportunity to climb at least a couple of places. Villa will go into the game in confident mood after the manner of their win against Derby last time out whilst their visitors will be looking to regain the form which seen them go five unbeaten away from home.
This will be the first derby for both managers but they will know all about what to expect. Aston Villa have certainly had the upper hand of late, winning both home derbies since dropping into the Championship and are unbeaten against Birmingham in league games since 2005. That will count for little, of course, but they have been hard to beat at home this season with Preston the only visiting team to take three points back with them. Birmingham will be intent on making this difficult for their hosts but I think Smith is the perfect man to take Villa forward and he can sample the sweet taste of derby success at the first time of asking.
Selection: Aston Villa 89/100 @ Marathon Bet
