Fulham v Birmingham Betting Tips [18 January 2022]

League leaders Fulham will look to keep up their incredible goal scoring run when they take on 18th place Birmingham City at Craven Cottage for this rescheduled matchday 24 encounter. The hosts are coming off a dominating 6-2 win against Bristol City and, as stated in our preview for that match, the Robins truly caught Marco Silva’s team at the wrong time. Fulham have now scored an absurd 13 goals in their last two matches and are firing on all cylinders. The Cottagers have regained the lead in the Championship and now hold a two point lead over Bournemouth and Blackburn with a game in hand to boot. The visitors will surely be cursing their luck that they come up against a Fulham side in arguably their best form of the season, and the difficulty of their task is compounded given the Blues struggles to record a victory. Birmingham’s last match was a 1-1 draw against Preston and they currently hold a nine point lead over the relegation zone. 

Fulham are significant favorites in this one given their recent offensive explosion. Taking them to win straight up on the 1X2 line doesn’t present a whole lot of value but there is another angle we can take that still allows us to back the home side. Fulham have been the best first half team in the league this season with a record of 17-6-2 and an impressive 32 goals scored with only six goals conceded. On the other hand, Birmingham rank 16th in first half performance which drops to 18th when they are away from home - their halftime record is 6-10-9 with nine goals scored and 14 conceded. There is a good chance the hosts pick up where they left off and record another fast start against a Birmingham side who has really struggled to find the net away from home. Birmingham often try to shut up shop when playing as the visitors, often at the expense of their own goal scoring potential. Lee Bowyer’s side has now failed to score in seven of their 13 away matches and have only netted 11 times. Expect them to struggle against a red-hot Fulham team.

Fulham have been the best team in the division this season and look set to gain automatic promotion back to the Premier League. We’re going to back the hosts to be leading at half time in this one as we expect Aleksander Mitrovic and company to come out of the gates fast. Fulham on the -1.5 Asian Handicap is another solid choice which offers very good odds if you’re looking for an alternative bet.