Birmingham take on Newcastle in an early mid-week fixture next week looking to pull clear of the relegation places.

Birmingham have been improving slightly in the recent past and it’s little surprise to see them as favourites on their own ground. The best price for a home win in this match is 13/10 with Victor Chandler.

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Newcastle have been up and down away from home like a yoyo and will be yearning for a little more consistency. The best price for the away win is presently 39/19 with Bwin. The draw is a real possibility but is third in the list at 9/4 with Paddy Power.

Birmingham will take a 1-0 right now if it was offered to them because it means three vital points. A 1-0 win to the home team is 13/2 with Bwin. However, Newcastle may score which will force Birmingham to up the ante and 2-1 is on the cards at 17/2 with Betfair.

Newcastle have conceded a lot of goals away from home this season but the attack has been in good form despite the departure of Andy Carroll. A 2-1 win for Newcastle would be a good result for Alan Pardew’s side at odds of 10/1 with Paddy Power.

There are a number of players on either team that have the potential to score the first goal of the game. Cameron Jerome is a key figure in the Birmingham attack and is a very good bet at 13/2 across the market to score the first goal.

Newcastle’s Leon Best could be a very good bet as the forward seems to relish playing football at this level, he’s currently 8/1 on the market. Newcastle captain Kevin Nolan must never be overlooked because he has a habit of popping up with a goal at crucial times. There is good value at 12s in a few places.