Burnley vs Birmingham prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2022-12-26 20:00.
There appears to be precious little slowing Burnley’s bid for an instant return to the Premier League, with a 3-1 victory over Middlesbrough last time out maintaining their spot atop the Championship table. That triumph saw the Clarets battle from behind again to claim all three points, the fourth time they have done so in the Championship this season, a feat no side has bettered so far.
That’s perhaps largely down to the fact Burnley are the Championship’s premier entertainers, with a league-high 46 goals scored this season propelled by exactly three goals scored during each of their last four home outings. Home has certainly been where the heart is as far as Burnley are concerned, with their current seven successive home wins their joint-longest streak since 2009!
Having suffered defeat just twice in their last eight visits to Turf Moor (W4, D2), Birmingham may be quietly confident they can be the side to end Burnley’s winning run at home. That confidence could be heightened by the fact the Blues now find themselves firmly in the play-off picture, with their 3-2 win against Reading last time out moving them to within touching distance of the top six.
Travelling form remains an area of improvement for John Eustace’s side though, as they hold just two wins from their last six Championship away games (D2, L2). Conceding goals has largely been the reason behind that, as despite Birmingham keeping a clean sheet in their last away game against Blackpool (0-0), they haven’t recorded successive league clean sheets on the road since October 2021, which could prove a problem against a free-scoring Clarets side.
Players to watch: Manuel Benson was Burnley’s hero against Middlesbrough with two goals, and his last four strikes at home have arrived after half-time. In a similarly rich vein of form, Birmingham’s Scott Hogan has scored the first goal of the game in five of his seven scoring appearances this season.
Hot stat: Burnley have conceded first in four of their last five home games, but won all four.