Leicester City and Birmingham City meet at the King Power Stadium on Friday night in a battle of promotion contenders.
The big-spending and ambitious Blues were two divisions below the Foxes last season, but sit one point ahead of them after three games, having beaten Blackburn Rovers and Oxford United following an opening day draw with Ipswich Town.
Leicester lost at Preston North End either side of wins over Sheffield Wednesday and Charlton Athletic, and new boss Marti Cifuentes will be looking to make the King Power a fortress in a bid for an immediate return to the top flight.
The Sporting News previews the first game of the Championship weekend.
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Leicester vs. Birmingham prediction
Birmingham are proving a tough nut to crack in the second tier, and this should be a very tight clash. A draw is our tip, which will keep both sides in the mix at the top of the early table.
The draw is 9/4 with Sky Bet, while Leicester are favourites at 6/4, with Birmingham slightly back at 9/5.
The Sporting News' Score Prediction: Leicester 1-1 Birmingham
- A draw between Leicester and Birmingham on Friday is given a 30.8% probability by Sky Bet.
- Learn more about reading odds, different types of bets and the best online betting sites through our how to bet on football guide
Leicester vs. Birmingham expected lineups
Here's how we think these two sides will line up at the King Power Stadium.
Leicester lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left)
- Stolarczyk (GK) — Choudhury, Okoli, Vestegaard, Thomas — Soumare, Skipp — Fatawu, Daka, Mavididi — Ayew
Injured: Victor Kristiansen, Harry Souttar, Bobby Decordova-Reid
Suspended: None
Birmingham lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left)
- Allsop (GK) — Osayi-Samuel, Neumann, Klarer, Laird — Iwata, Paik — Willumsson, Stansfield, Gray — Furushashi
Injured: Scott Wright
Suspended: None
Leicester vs. Birmingham latest odds, correct score betting
Our 1-1 prediction is at good odds with Sky Bet, but there are plenty of other possible score lines that are worth looking at for this one. Here's a look at some of the most likely outcomes according to the bookmakers.
*Click odds to bet direct with our selected partners. Odds correct at time of publish.
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Leicester vs. Birmingham team news
- Leicester remain without Victor Kristiansen, Harry Souttar and Bobby Decordova-Reid, while Bilal El Khannouss is unlikely to start after his proposed move to Crystal Palace fell through.
- Scott Wright remains out with a knee injury for Birmingham, and Chris Davies is likely to revert the team that beat Oxford last weekend after rotating for the EFL Cup loss to Port Vale.
Leicester vs. Birmingham Bet Builder tips
Our bet builder for this one is a draw with both teams to score, over four combined cards and Leicester to have the most corners. That is currently over 22/1 with Bet365.
You can check out the latest odds and bet direct with our selected partners using the bet builder tool below.
How to watch Leicester vs. Birmingham: Live stream, TV channel
- Date: Friday, August 29
- Venue: King Power Stadium
- Time: 20:00 p.m. BST
- TV/Stream: Sky Sports