Leeds vs Birmingham Prediction & Betting Tips - Championship

Prediction published on 01/01/2024, 01:44  by Devesh Jaganath in Championship Predictions

Leeds United will be looking to bounce back to winning ways in the Championship when they play host to Birmingham City on New Year’s Day. The hosts are currently fourth in the league standings, while the visitors are 20th. Leeds ended 2023 poorly, conceding back-to-back defeats to Preston North End and a 1-0 loss to West Bromwich Albion on Friday evening. That left them on 45 points after 25 matches, six shy of Southampton in third place, while the Baggies in fifth place pulled within three points of them. Those results also meant that The Whites have only won one of their last five league games, which is in stark contrast to the previous five, where they were unbeaten. Still, the hosts will come into this match with confidence as they have a splendid home record this season and are yet to be defeated at Elland Road after 12 matches. Their most recent victory was a notable one, beating high-flyers Ipswich Town 4-0, and they are the favourites to win this one. 

Meanwhile, Birmingham City have been steadily slipping down the ranks of late, and their 28-point tally leaves them uncomfortably close to the drop zone. They played out a 0-0 draw at home to Bristol City on Friday night, which marked their fourth consecutive match without a win, including two draws and two losses. The Blues have been particularly poor on the road this season, taking just eight points from a possible 36 with a record of two wins, two draws, and eight consecutive losses between September and the start of December. They also possess one of the league’s worst defensive records, with 38 goals conceded in 25 games. However, while they are the underdogs here, Birmingham did manage to eke out a 1-0 win over Leeds in the reverse fixture back in August.