Football betting tips: Championship
2pts Patson Daka to score anytime at 2/1 (Sky Bet)
0.5pts Patson Daka to score a brace at 14/1 (Sky Bet)
He may have only taken charge in October but a return of eight points from a possible 30 puts Wayne Rooney under immediate pressure.
No doubt Birmingham’s victory over Cardiff in midweek relieved some of that but with title favourites Leicester in town on Monday, that respite could be short lived.
Enzo Maresca’s side are on course for a record Sky Bet Championship points haul and their victory over Millwall in midweek put them back on top after temporarily being dislodged by Ipswich who played the night before.
No side has won more (17) and only the Tractor Boys have lost less (two) - no wonder the away side are odds-on favourites on Monday.
What are the best bets?
Injuries to Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho opened the door for PATSON DAKA, and he has grabbed his opportunity.
He was awarded his first start of the season in the 4-0 win over Plymouth and has repaid the favour with two goals in two games and an assist.
On the whole though, it is fair to say that his time in Leicestershire has not lived up to the expectation. He arrived from RB Salzburg in the summer of 2021 with a hefty price tag having bagged 51 league goals in two seasons in Austria. Over the same period in the top flight, he only scored nine times for the Foxes.
Lack of opportunity may be to blame, it certainly isn’t a question of his ability.
Still only 25, the frontman says he used his time away from the XI to his benefit. Maresca snubbed him for the first months of the season and Daka underwent a period of ‘reflection’.
Whatever he did seems to have worked and at 2/1 his price TO SCORE ANYTIME appeals at St Andrew’s on Monday.
If you want to be greedy, I would not put anyone off the Daka double. He is 14/1 to TO SCORE 2+ with Sky Bet.
Will he play the 90? It is unlikely but he should get ample opportunity against this chaotic Blues side.
BuildABet @ 42/1
- Over 2.5 goals
- Patson Daka to score 2+
- Krystian Bielik to be shown a card
No Blues player is better acquainted with Championship officials than Krystian Bielik.
The central midfielder has notched up six cards this campaign and is among their frontrunners for fouls per game (1.7).
The former Arsenal man will have his work cut out trying to contain a very fluid Foxes midfield.
Team news
After picking up three points in Cardiff in midweek, Rooney may opt for an unchanged side here. This would see Jay Stansfield spearhead the attack, supported by Juninho Bacuna, Jordan James and Siriki Dembele.
Kelechi Iheanacho is back available for the trip to the Midlands but looks unlikely to replace Daka in attack.
Conor Coady was booked and subbed within the hour during the 3-2 win over Millwall, and James Justin is expected to replace him in the backline.
Predicted line-ups
Birmingham: Ruddy; Aiwu, Roberts, Sanderson, Buchanan; Bielik, Sunjic; Dembele, James, Bacuna; Stansfield.
Leicester: Hermansen; Pereira, Vestergaard, Faes, Justin; Dewsbury-Hall, Ndidi, Winks; Fatawu, Daka, Mavididi.
Match facts
- This is the first league meeting between Birmingham and Leicester since January 2014, a game won 2-1 by the Foxes.
- Leicester have only lost three of their last 21 league games against Birmingham City (W12 D6) and none of their last five (W3 D2) since a 2-0 defeat in October 2011.
- Only Leeds (0) have lost fewer home league games in the Championship this season than Birmingham (W5 D4 L1), though have only won one of their four such games so far under Wayne Rooney (D2 L1).
- Leicester have won eight of their 10 away league games so far this season (D1 L1), their most in their first 10 league games on the road in a season in their history.
- Leicester’s Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has already registered eight away goal involvements in the Championship this season (2 goals, 6 assists), as many as in his previous four seasons in the Football League combined (4 goals, 4 assists).
Odds correct at 1545 GMT (15/12/23)
More from Sporting Life
- Fixtures, results and live scores
- Expert xG analysis and features
- Transfer news and done deals
- Football and other sports tips
- Download our free iOS and Android app
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.