Both Birmingham and Wolves fought back to grab important draws last weekend but of these two clubs that won promotion last season, it is the Blues who have made the biggest impact on the Premier League. Mick McCarthy’s side may have won the 2008/09 Championship by seven clear points ahead of Birmingham but Alex McLeish’s team have surely exceeded even the most ardent of Blues fans expectations.

Birmingham’s long unbeaten run may have been ended but Alex will have been pleased with his team’s fighting spirit against Tottenham last weekend. Spurs kept the ball for long periods and looked to have won the match but the Blues never say die attitude was rewarded at the death. The club had money to spend and although they were unable to get the big name striker they wanted, they still have a strong team if they can keep everyone fit. Cameron Jerome and Christian Benitez are both handfuls in their own right although the Ecuadorian still needs to improve his finishing. Once again he created chances on his own against Tottenham but squandered them. However, the rest of his game is very good as he does a lot of unselfish running for the team.

Goal scoring has been a problem for the Blues this season but defensively they’ve been excellent. I include the whole side in that as Birmingham are a well drilled outfit and every outfield player does his defensive job. They’ve conceded just 7 league goals at home this season which is the joint best record in the division. However, they’ve only scored 10 goals themselves at St Andrews’ which is the 2nd worst scoring record in the division behind this weekend’s opponents Wolves. The Blues have not scored more than a single goal in each of their last six league games but one goal may be enough this weekend.

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Mick’s Wolves team have pulled off some great results this season but have not shown the consistency that the Blues have which is why they find themselves 4th from bottom. They’ve now gone five league games without a win but have shown they are ready for a battle with successive draws against Liverpool and Hull. The disappointing FA Cup defeat against Crystal Palace should also produce a response from the team. This local derby promises to be another tough game and like the 1-0 win for Birmingham at Molineux back in November; I don’t expect many goals in this one.

Birmingham’s last-gasp equaliser against Tottenham last weekend will have restored some of the confidence which must have been dented by the defeat at Chelsea. The home side is packed full of experience with a competitive edge. This will be a typical derby match, frantic, lots of commitment but although it will be close, I’m backing the Blues to win.

While Birmingham have a great home defensive record, Wolves have conceded two goals or more in five of their last six away games. They’ve also not been able to beat the Blues in their last eight league meetings (3 defeats). Therefore, with a £30,000 estimated Premier 10 jackpot up for grabs this week, I am picking a home win in this clash.

Tags: Alan Hansen, Birmingham, Football Pools, Premier 10, Premier League, Wolves

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