 | #8. Birmingham City versus BlackpoolLocation: St. Andrews’ Stadium (Birmingham) |  |
English Premier League Preview: Blackpool Seek To Keep Excellent Away Form While Birmingham Hope To Get Back On Track
Ian Holloway’s Blackpool, currently sitting tenth in the EPL table despite predictions that they’d achieve the lowest-ever number of points in the Premier League, travel to Birmingham on Saturday to take on the Blues, who are currently fighting to stay above the relegation zone. While St. Andrews was previously considered a fortress, with no one having beat Birmingham there in a year, Everton broke that streak with their first win of the season. Now the Tangerines hope to continue their fantastic away form and add to the tally of three wins outside of Bloomfield Road.
Projected Lineup, Birmingham City (4-4-2) Foster— Ridgewell , Johnson, Dann, Carr,—Fahey, Ferguson, Bowyer, Larsson—Zigic, Hleb
Projected Lineup, Blackpool (4-3-3) Gilks—Crainey, Evatt, Cathcart, Eardley—Adam, Vaughn, Taylor-Fletcher—Varney, Campbell, Grandin
Key Battle: Blackpool play a fast, attacking style of soccer that is the antithesis to Birmingham’s stodgy, conservative, physical play. With a deep playing defense, Luke Varney, who managed to get behind Manchester City last week and give them plenty of grief, might not have such an easy time. Still, with enough pressure and play in the box, the Seasiders could very well find at least one goal. The problem will be settling down and remembering to defend against Nikola Zigic’s giant head after that goal goes in.
Battle Within The Battle: Ian Holloway is an outspoken manager, ready to give his opinion on everything from video technology to Wayne Rooney, but in the end he’s seeking points, not just a sideshow. If Holloway is seeking to outsmart the offside flag, he’ll keep his side attacking, as the more shots are fired into the goal, the more likely one of them will be ruled valid. Meanwhile, the Blues are winless in six and Alex McLeish certainly won’t change up his side’s play; he’ll just be looking to stem the sounds of boos emanating from the Birmingham supporters.
Pick: Alex McLeish will be terrified of the supporters if he comes up with anything less than a win, so let’s call this a 2-1 victory in favor of Birmingham.
See More:
