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Tale of the Tape – Birmingham v Wigan

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Gary Rowett has turned around a dire home record since his arrival and his next challenge is a struggling Wigan side. The visitors come into the game sat 23rd in the league 11 points behind Birmingham and failing to gain points under recently appointed Malky Mackay. With this in mind it should just be another day at the office for blues on paper but what other stats are there that could make a difference?

Form

With Birmingham seemingly reborn under Rowett the form has risen incredibly with the wins racking up things couldn`t be at a greater contrast for Wigan who are shocked to be going from one defeat to another in the Sky Bet Championship.

Birmingham Form – Wigan Form
Last 5 – L W W L W – L L L W L
Last 5 at home – W D W W L – D D L L L
Last 5 away – D W L W W – L L L L W

With the hosts collecting a possible 10/15 in their last 5 Birmingham will head into the contest in a good frame of mind as they should all going to plan have beat Blyth in the FA Cup days before this match. Wigan`s away record makes for dire reading with only one win in 5 games so on paper Birmingham should pick up a victory.

Form winner: Birmingham City

Goals Scored

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If a side has players throughout their team who can find the back of the net on a regular basis they will have a greater chance of winning. It really is that simple. But which of these two clubs has a greater individual talisman and who is better as a whole at scoring goals? With these stats in regards to the league let`s take a look at the leading goal scorer at both clubs.

When looking at these stats it is difficult to decide which striker is the best as it must be factored in Donaldson`s extra games played as he has 4 more appearances this season. Whilst having more games Donaldson has less yellow cards then the oppositions leading scorer meaning he is more likely in theory to not risk a red card etc. With this is mind if McManaman begins to get frustrated with Birmingham`s solid backline there is a chance he could be sent off for a rash challenge or a verbal attack on the officials. Overall Donaldson is in much better form so he should be the man to back between the leading scorers.

The next part to look at is the goals scored as a collective squad over the course of the league so far between Birmingham and Wigan. Birmingham have recorded a total of 27 goals this season so far compared to 24 of the visitors. So whilst this stat is fairly close the blues just edge it again this could be due to a lack of games for Wigan top scorer McManaman.

Goals scored winner: Birmingham City


Goals Conceded

A vital part of gaining 3 points from a game of football is the backline being able to withhold any pressure and restricting chances which could result in goals conceded. So who has the stronger back line heading into the match?

The visitors have conceded 31 goals so far as they begin to prepare for the trip to St Andrews this is 6 less the hosts who are on 37 conceded so far this season. This is awful record to have as just under 40 goals against a team already is typically associated with a team fighting at the bottom to stay up. Despite this stat only 9 goals have been let in since the start of November which was when Rowett took over and organised the defence. With 4 clean sheets in this time as well it must be noted despite the worse defensive record on paper Birmingham have improved and the defence is playing better than the stat would have you believe.

Goals conceded winner: Wigan

Key Player Face Off

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David Cotterill – James McClean
25 – Games Played – 17
6 – Goals – 3
6 – Assists – 5
4 – yellows/0 reds – Discipline – 5 yellows/0 reds

Birmingham star Cotterill has played more games than McClean who has less goals and one less assist then the Welsh wizard who has been in great form this season. It is also worth noting despite the less games played by Wigan star McClean he has already earned more yellow cards then Birmingham`s number 11. With all of this bared in mind it`s a close run contest however Cotterill will edge because of the goals scored and his ability to win a match with a moment of magic.

Key Player Face off winner: David Cotterill – Birmingham

In conclusion Birmingham have better form, better goals scored and a better match winner then the opposition however Wigan on paper at least have a stronger defence then the hosts. Despite this it doesn`t reflect the blues new found quality at the back so with all of this in mind I feel a Birmingham City victory is the most likely outcome on January 10th.



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