Birmingham vs Brentford Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Birmingham come into this game still looking for their first win under Gianfranco Zola but following a point at Barnsley on Friday, this looks like a good opportunity for them to get it against an inconsistent Brentford side.

The Bees have only lost 1 of their last 5 but it’s also just 3 wins in 14 Championship game and their struggles on the road in particular have left them hovering in the bottom half of the table. They’ve lost 58% of their away games this season and average just 0.92 points per game on the road. They’ve often struggled to keep goals out away from home, letting in 1.58 goals per game on average while they’ve been very dependent on Scott Hogan for goals at the other end. Their season is perhaps best summed up by the fact they’ve won at table-topping Brighton but have lost games against Rotherham and Blackburn.

It’s still very early days for Zola at Birmingham and he was always going to have a tough job following on from Gary Rowett, who got the very maximum out of a squad that is a bit lacking in genuine quality. However, they showed real fighting spirit to come from 2-0 down to draw at Barnsley on Friday and that should see them come into this game with a bit of momentum. They have won 50% of their home games this season, which is a fairly solid record and they were leading going into the final 10 minutes of Zola’s first home game against Brighton.

Brentford lack the sort of quality to pose Birmingham a constant threat and they are vulnerable enough at the back that the Blues should create enough openings to edge this. You can back Birmingham to win at 11/8 here which looks to offer decent value and the recent head-to-head record certainly backs that up.