Wrexham and Birmingham are in action tonight in a meeting of two big-spending newly promoted clubs who have struggled to acclimatise to life in the Championship thus far.
Despite their heavy spending, both find themselves lurched in midtable although it is still early days and things have picked up for Wrexham in particular. Phil Parkinson's side have five points from their last three games albeit they are winless in their last four home games.
Birmingham, on the other hand, followed up a heavy defeat at Coventry with a draw at home to strugglers Sheffield Wednesday and needed a last-gasp equaliser to grab that point. Despite their middling form, the Blues remain fourth favourites to achieve promotion at 11/4 on Sky Bet.
The Sporting News brings you this betting preview complete with the latest tips and odds ahead of this hugely anticipated Friday night encounter. The match kicks off at the same time as Bournemouth vs. Fulham in the Premier League.
Wrexham vs. Birmingham: Who Will Win?
Wrexham are in better form than the Blues but their home form is poor (two draws and two defeats from four matches). We expect the match tonight to be a tight one between two evenly matched sides - the home side have tried to tighten things up at the back of late (two goals conceded from their last three in all competitions) after a particularly leaky start to the campaign.
Chris Davies' Blues, meanwhile, have scored only twice and taken just three points from their four away matches. However, they are the second biggest underperformers in the league according to xG (7 goals from 11.88 expected). We think a draw is a likely outcome.
Score Prediction for Wrexham vs. Birmingham
Wrexham 1-1 Birmingham
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Wrexham vs. Birmingham Lineups
This is how we think these two sides will lineup tonight, with Wrexham club-record signing Nathan Broadhead returning to the lineup after his first goal for the club against Leicester. Kieffer Moore is averaging a goal every 166 minutes in the league for Wrexham (four from eight matches).
Wrexham predicted lineup vs. Birmingham
(3-4-2-1) Okonkwo (GK) — Cleworth, Hyam, Brunt — Kabore, Dobson, Sheaf, Longman — Broadhead, O'Brien — Moore
Birmingham predicted lineup vs. Wrexham
(4-2-3-1) Allsop (GK) — Osayi-Samuel, Klarer, Robinson, Cochrane — Iwata, Paik — Koumas, Stansfield, Gray — Furuhashi
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Wrexham vs. Birmingham Odds
Birmingham are narrow favourites at 29/20 with BetVictor, with Wrexham just behind at 21/10 with Spreadex. The draw comes in at 49/20. Our score prediction is 1-1 - here’s the best odds available for five of the likeliest results for this match.
| Result | Odds | Bet with |
|---|---|---|
| Wrexham 1-0 | 8/1 | Bet365 |
| Birmingham 1-0 | 13/2 | AK Bets |
| Wrexham 2-1 | 10/1 | Bet365 |
| Birmingham 2-1 | 17/2 | Bet365 |
| 1-1 Draw | 11/2 | Bet365 |
Wrexham vs. Birmingham Team News
- Nathan Broadhead should come in for Josh Windass after his super sub role against Leicester.
- Jack Robinson will return to the Birmingham lineup after his one-game ban.
- Other changes might come with Paik Seung-Ho and Lewis Koumas coming in.
Wrexham vs. Birmingham Bet Builder Tips
Our favourite bet builder for tonight's match is a draw, both teams to score and over 12 corners, which comes to overall best odds of 5.04 with Coral. You can build your own bet builder and compare best bookmaker prices using the tool below.
How to watch Wrexham vs. Birmingham: Live stream, TV channel
- Date: Friday, October 3
- Venue: The Racecourse, Wrexham, Wales
- Time: 8:00 p.m.
- TV/Stream: Sky Sports Football/Sky Go