Football Bet of the Day: Foxes can heap more woe on Rooney

With the Premier League taking a Monday off before the onslaught of a busy Christmas and New Year, Championship leaders Leicester City take centre stage as they attempt to keep their quest for a top-flight return on the right path at Birmingham City.

Enzo Maresca’s team are taking the second tier by storm and Ipswich’s 2-2 draw with Norwich in Saturday’s East Anglian derby means the Foxes can go three points clear at the head of affairs with a win at St Andrew’s.

There was a lot of enthusiasm among the Bluenoses when Wayne Rooney took the helm at Birmingham, but they find themselves in what has become their customary position two-thirds of the way down the table after two wins in the former England star’s ten matches in charge.

However, his competitive spirit should come to the fore and ensure Leicester don’t have an easy ride on the other side of the Midlands.

It is no surprise to see Leicester at 4/7 to claim a win at Birmingham as their form on the road has been superb since they fell into the Championship.

A few of their stars such as James Maddison and Youri Tielemans left the scene over the summer, but there is still enough class in Maresca’s squad and they look primed to ensure their stay outside the Premier League is not extended beyond a solitary season.

Their performances on the road have been particularly impressive as they have posted eight wins in ten games and it seems sensible to expect goals at St Andrew’s on Monday as the visitors have netted at least twice in nine matches on the road.

Consecutive defeats to Leeds and Middlesbrough at the beginning of last month left some asking whether the wheels had come off, but they are fully back in the swing of things and have dropped two points in their last five matches.

So, it would seem Birmingham are up against it, particularly as they have yet to catch fire since Rooney took over from John Eustace ten games ago.

There is a degree of optimism for the future after an American takeover involving American football legend Tom Brady, but the club are building from a low base as this is their 13th consecutive season in the Championship and they have finished 17th or lower in each of the last seven campaigns.

Maybe, though, there are signs that things could improve even if Rooney’s return of two victories during his tenure looks modest.

The second of those wins came in midweek when they posted a 1-0 success at Cardiff and the Blues have scored at least twice in four of their last six home games, so they know where the goal is on their own patch.

While Leicester have been excellent on the road, they have kept a clean sheet in just one of their last eight away league matches, so a strong case could be made for the Foxes winning and both teams scoring in Monday’s clash.

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