West Brom v Birmingham City, 3pm
A fiercely-contested west Midlands derby is to be expected at The Hawthorns on Saturday between two teams who have started the season pretty well. Birmingham are unbeaten after four matches and a logical bet would be to back City at 11/8 on bet365’s Draw No Bet market, with Alex McLeish’s team comfortably keeping Liverpool at bay on Sunday. Only an inspired performance from Pepe Reina kept the Blues at bay and the visitors are 11/5 with Ladbrokes to come away with the three points.
It was noticeable on Sunday that Craig Gardner was close to scoring again after his brace against Blackburn and the midfielder could be worth a bet at 12/1 (Paddy Power) to open the scoring. Perhaps Alex McLeish will give Jean Beausejour his first Premier League start and the Chilean also catches the eye at 16/1 (Sky Bet).
Not that the Baggies will be a pushover after a win against Sunderland and a draw against Tottenham, with Ladbrokes making Roberto Di Matteo’s team an 11/8 chance to collect their second Premier League victory of the season. This match has a gritty low-scoring affair written all over it and the 5/6 with betfair about Under 2.5 Goals looks like a tasty proposition.