Birmingham v Leicester predictions, odds and betting tips

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Where to watch Birmingham v Leicester

You can watch Birmingham v Leicester in the Championship on Monday December 18, live on Sky Sports Football & Main Event at 8pm

Match prediction & best bet

0-0 half-time correct score
1pt 9-4 bet365

You can bet on Birmingham v Leicester here and get £30 in free bets with Unibet

Birmingham v Leicester odds

Birmingham 5-1
Leicester 3-5
Draw 16-5

Odds correct at time of publishing

Birmingham v Leicester team news

Birmingham
Top scorer Jay Stansfield should be fit after suffering a knock against Cardiff but Oliver Burke is a doubt. Ethan Laird, Cody Drameh, Keshi Anderson, Alfie Chang and Kevin Long are injured and forward Tyler Roberts will not be risked as he recovers from a calf problem.

Leicester
Jamie Vardy (knee) is sidelined along with Callum Doyle, Harry Souttar, Yunus Akgun, Kasey McAteer and Marc Albrighton.

Birmingham v Leicester predictions

Wayne Rooney has won only two of his first ten matches as Birmingham manager and his side are 5-1 shots to claim maximum points at home to Championship leaders Leicester.

The Foxes have made a sensational start to life under Enzo Maresca, winning 17 of their first 21 second-tier games after last season's relegation from the Premier League.

Ipswich's 2-2 derby draw with Norwich means Leicester would go three points clear at the top if they beat Birmingham and, more significantly, victory would leave them 13 points above third-placed Leeds.

While Maresca's men are 1-10 to earn automatic promotion this season, Rooney's Blues are six points above the relegation zone despite having taken ten points from their first four games under previous boss John Eustace.

They claimed a much-needed 1-0 victory at Cardiff last week but their last home game was a goalless stalemate against bottom club Rotherham, who hit the woodwork and had four shots on target to Birmingham's three.

The home defence can expect a far tougher time against Leicester, who are averaging 2.1 goals per game away from home this term.

A knee injury means Jamie Vardy is unavailable against Rooney's Birmingham, to the disappointment of gossipmongers hoping for a sequel to last year's 'Wagatha Christie' libel case involving the Vardy and Rooney households.

However, striker Kelechi Iheanacho is back, competing for a place up front with Patson Daka, who scored in his first two starts of the season against Plymouth and Millwall.

Maresca should start with his first-choice midfield of Harry Winks, Wilfred Ndidi and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who has racked up six goals and eight assists in 19 league starts, although Leicester may need time to break down their hosts.

The Foxes have scored nine goals in their last three wins over West Brom, Plymouth and Millwall but eight of those goals came in the second half.

Leicester's last seven games featured only three first-half goals while two of Birmingham's last four were 0-0 at half-time, including last month's 4-2 defeat at Blackburn, and Juninho Bacuna's goal in last week's 1-0 win at Cardiff came in added time at the end of the first half.

Key stat

Only 14 of Leicester's 41 league goals this season have been scored in the first half

Probable teams

Birmingham (4-3-3): Ruddy; Aiwu, Sanderson, M Roberts, Buchanan; Bielik, Sunjic, James; Dembele, Bacuna, Stansfield
Subs: Longelo, Miyoshi, Gardner, Donovan, Hogan, Jutkiewicz, Oakley

Leicester (4-3-3): Hermansen; Pereira, Faes, Vestergaard, Justin; Winks, Ndidi, Dewsbury-Hall; Fatawu, Daka, Mavididi
Subs: Coady, Nelson, Choudhury, Praet, Casadei, Iheanacho, Cannon

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We’ve already mentioned that Unibet are offering a £30 free bet for Birmingham v Leicester.

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Unibet Championship betting sign-up offer: terms and conditions

It's worth taking a few minutes to read through the terms and conditions associated with the new player promotion before signing up. Doing so will help you get a better grasp of the details of this Championship betting offer and what's expected of you as a new player.

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