The record books say Middlesbrough home win against Birmingham

Premier League / Mike Norman / 31 August 2007 / Leave a Comment

"Mystical" Mike Norman looks into his crystal ball to find the best bets as Boro entertain Brum

Middlesbrough take on Birmingham City tomorrow at the Riverside Stadium, in a match that will have a lot of historical landmarks attached to it. Here, I will highlight some excellent betting opportunities that can be found if you visit Betfair's brilliant, wide range of markets, on every Premier League match throughout the season.

Boro, that unfashionable North East team, will be meeting Birmingham, that under-achieving Midlands team, for the 100th time at all competitive levels. Not only that, but Boro will also be attempting to register their 1500th league win in their history - and if that's not enough incentive for Boro to go and record their fist home win of the season, then they only have to call on the request from their manager, who has called for an early birthday present, 3 days before he turns 37 year old.

It hasn't been quite the Fortress that it was hoped when The Riverside Stadium was built, but Middlesbrough still have a very healthy record on their own turf, non more so than a 100% record against Birmingham in the Premier League (4 wins out of 4). This instantly points to a home win, with Boro currently trading at 2.16 to do so, while the draw is 3.4 and Birmingham are at 3.95. Only a capital 'B' gives Birmingham 12th position in the league currently, as they have an identical record to 13th placed Middlesbrough, accumulating 4 points from 4 games, with both teams having the same negative goal difference.

While Boro were being defeated on the first weekend of the season, Birmingham were putting up a bold show against title favourites Chelsea. Brum have brought in no less than 12 new signings for this important Premier League campaign, and though it can be expected for them all to take time to gel, they have shown clear signs of being a more than adequate outfit. Boro have also invested in the summer and both teams look to be evenly matched on paper. Surprisingly, only Chelsea have scored more times than Birmingham so far this season, with the likes of Cameron Jerome and Mikael Forssell offering real threats to the Boro defence. Boro on the other hand have had to use a lot of inexperience and youth at the back because of injuries to key defenders. But both Jonathan Woodgate and Luke Young returned for the game against Newcastle and they instantly looked a more solid unit.

I do feel Boro will just have too much quality for Birmingham in this game, with Stewart Downing beginning to find his form, and Mido instantly looking a real bargain, even at £6.8m. Their midfield is also looking stronger, with the likes of Arca, Cattermole, and Boateng all able to sit in the middle and do great holding jobs. An interesting point to note is that when Boro do win, they usually score in the first half, so Betfair's trading price of 3.65 for the home team to be leading at half time and full time looks very appealing.

I can see plenty of goals in this game, with perhaps a 3-1 home scoreline (22)looking a good bet. Birmingham will have their moments though, and tough midfielders Gary O'Connor, Gary McSheffry and Fabrice Muamba could well have a vital say in the outcome. A good bet perhaps then is the 4.2 on offer in the 'over 3.5 goals' market. It will be nice to see Stuart Parnaby and Franck Queudrue returning to the Riverside, though there is no sentiment in football and I just feel that with history in their favour, then Middlesbrough can be regarded as the most likely winners in this encounter.