Birmingham City vs Leeds United Prediction: Both teams are coming off a draw in the last game

Birmingham City will welcome Leeds United at St Andrew's in Gameweek 2 of the English Championship. Both teams are coming off a draw in the last game and would love to improve on that. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes?

Birmingham City form

Birmingham City began their 2023-24 season with a sense of optimism, as they entered their second full season under the management of John Eustace. They finished in 17th place last season, earning 53 points from 46 matches in the Championship. After a successful pre-season, which included victories over Cartagena, Northampton Town, and Cheltenham Town, as well as a defeat to Peterborough United, they started their 13th consecutive campaign in the second tier of English football with an away match against Swansea City. Just before halftime, Siriki Dembele scored his debut goal, giving Birmingham City the lead. However, they had to settle for a draw as Jerry Yates equalized for Swansea City 14 minutes before the end of the match. Despite this, Birmingham City were satisfied with the result and proceeded to face Cheltenham Town in the first round of the EFL Cup on Tuesday. In the first half, Juninho Bacuna scored two goals for Birmingham City, securing a 2-0 win against Cheltenham Town and securing their advancement to the next round of the cup. After this positive start to the season, Birmingham City are now looking forward to their first home league match at St Andrews, where they hope to secure their first victory of the season on Saturday.

Birmingham City Predicted Lineup

Ruddy; Laird, Sanderson, Long, Buchanan; Bacuna, Bielik; Roberts, Anderson, Dembele; Hogan

Leeds United form

Their visitors, Leeds United, are heading to the Midlands in search of their first league win of the season after being relegated from the Premier League last year. Despite their drop, they had a successful run in the cups during the week. Leeds United had a tough season in the Premier League, finishing in 19th place with only 31 points under the temporary leadership of Sam Allardyce. Now, under Daniel Farke, they are determined to make a swift return to the top flight. They prepared for the new season with friendly victories over Nottingham Forest and Hearts. Their Championship campaign started with a challenging home match against Cardiff City, where they found themselves trailing by two goals at halftime. However, they managed to make a comeback, with Liam Cooper scoring early in the second half and Crysencio Summerville providing a dramatic 95th-minute equalizer to secure a point for the team. In their EFL Cup first-round tie against Shrewsbury Town, Leeds United once again had to come from behind. After conceding a goal in the 28th minute, they turned the game around in the second half, with Joe Gelhardt equalizing in the 52nd minute and Pascal Struijk scoring the winner around the hour mark, securing their place in the next round. Leeds United will head into their upcoming match against St Andrews with a mix of confidence from their late equalizer and disappointment for not winning all three points. They are eager to build on their previous performances and achieve their first league victory of the season.

Leeds United Predicted Lineup

Meslier; Ayling, Cresswell, Struijk, Hjelde; Gray, Ampadu; Poveda, Sinisterra, James; Gelhardt

Birmingham City vs Leeds United Expert Tips

Although Leeds United boasts a squad filled with talent, the team's morale may have been severely impacted. Coupled with the challenge of playing an away game against an enthusiastic Birmingham City side that has undergone significant changes, it seems unlikely that the recently relegated team will secure a victory. Instead, we predict that the match will end in a draw or a home win with both the teams being on the scoresheet.