Birmingham have been a part of two high-scoring games (9 goals from 2 Birmingham City games) and if that is any indication, this game should have goals as well. Forssell has made a bright start for Birmingham City and against a suspect West Ham defence he’d be odds on to score again, and so are City overall. The only thing that counts against Brum is that they have a tendency to concede goals when they should be shutting them out, and if West Ham are persistent enough they will definitely get goals.
Keeping in mind that West Ham looked pale in their season opener and rolled over for Manchester City, you’d either expect a vicious response or some more of the same. With Curbishley at the helm it’s hard to imagine the former and when you factor in last season AND the fact that this is an away game, things don’t look so good for West Ham.
This could quite easily be a 6-pointer for the two sides considering that they are both likely to finish in the same half of the table. West Ham do have a reputation for rising to the occasion on tough matches – but I doubt that West Ham’s assembled crew of experienced, seasoned professionals will either view this as a big enough test or if they’ll gel together in time to produce the kind of performance their talents predict and the fans expect.
Don’t think that Ashton will have a *big* impact on the game (I’ll be happy if he does) considering that he needs plenty of games to get back in his groove.
Soccerlens Prediction: Birmingham City to win.
What do you guys think? Comments are welcome.
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