Birmingham City hosts Bournemouth in round 3 of the English Championship. The match will be played on Wednesday, August 18th at St. Andrew's Stadium (Birmingham)
Birmingham City started the season quite modestly. The club scored only one goal in two games. At the same time, the Blues have not conceded. In the last match against Stoke City, a goalless draw took place. It seems that the hosts are not planning to reveal themselves in terms of attacking actions yet. Considering the class of the upcoming opponent, who is rushing back to the Premier League, we will see a defensive game again.
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The end of the last season of the first matches of the new championship began to identify several factors and trends in the camp of Bournemouth. Both sides scored in the last three matches with the Cherries’ participation. This suggests that there are problems in defense, but they are caused by the fact that the team plays attacking football and does not always have time to come back. Beyond that, none of Bournemouth's last seven away matches ended in a draw. The Cherries are quite decisive in terms of starting the game and seizing the initiative —they always scored first in the last four matches. In the last match, the club beat Nottingham Forest away (1-2).
Interesting facts from head-to-head matches — more than two goals were scored in each of the last four games, and both sides scored in each of the last three cases. Yes, history indicates the entertainment and high production in confrontations between Birmingham and Bournemouth, but the season has just started, and both teams are now motivated. Some will try to avoid mistakes in defense, while others will try to seize the initiative from the very first minutes. This is not to say that Birmingham put a bus in front of its penalty area and will only fight back for 90 minutes. It's time for the players to finally show something in the attack, taking into account the factor of the home field. Therefore, both sides must score in the upcoming game. But given the strengths and capabilities of the teams at this stage, I will leave my preference to the visitors. To return to the Premier League, the Cherries need to prepare the ground for themselves from the very first rounds.
Prediction for the match: Bournemouth to win with +0.5 handicap
