Birmingham City play Manchester United at St. Andrews, 9 January 2010, 5:30pm.
There are some critical games this weekend and this one is second only to Liverpool v Tottenham in importance to its protagonists.
Birmingham, riding a rich vein of form in which they have been unbeaten in 12 games in all competitions. Solid defence, excellent goalkeeper and a work-ethic which is an example to every professional in the game, Alex McLeish’s side is a wonderful example of what hard work and belief can do.
On the other side, Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United are in trouble. Ranked fourth in our most recent Rankings, Machester United is a squad riddled with defensive injuries, midfield old-age and striking underachievement. Ask yourself this question; which of their players has enhanced their reputations this season? Now remove the names “Wayne Rooney” and “Luis Antonio Valencia”.
They have gone from a one-man team with a strong supporting case to a zero-man team with a supporting cast of two.
We have already said that the last three Premier League wins with what was a vastly overrated squad represents Ferguson’s greatest feat since 1999 but with Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City and Aston Villa improving and Chelsea remaining strong, Manchester United now look alarmingly low on quality.
Still, it is hard to bet against a team managed by Sir Alex Ferguson and while a Premier League win would be more a case of Arsenal and Chelsea losing it than Manchester United winning it, it would not be a shock to see them getting a result at Birmingham.
Best Bet – Very few goals.
First scorer – None.
Worth a punt – If not 0-0 then a one goal win for Manchester United.
Prediction:
Birmingham City 0 – 0 Manchester United
