Birmingham City are back in the Championship and face a tough test at home to Ipswich Town in tonight’s new season opener.
The two teams, who sat two leagues apart last season having suffered very differing fortunes, now have the prestige of kicking off the 2025/26 Championship campaign.
Ipswich began last season hosting eventual Premier League champions Liverpool but this time round they face a trip to the League One winner.
Blues boss Chris Davies will get his first taste of managing in the second tier and will be confident his side can make a good fist of it after romping to the title last season.
Meanwhile, Ipswich are among the favourites of sealing promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Kieran McKenna’s side know what it takes to reach the holy grail having secured automatic promotion in the 2023/24 season.
Birmingham v Ipswich: Date and how to follow
The Championship opener will take place on Friday, August 8 with kick-off at St Andrew’s scheduled for 8pm.
Listeners can catch all the action live and exclusive on talkSPORT with Adrian Durham presenting the coverage.
Commentary will come from Joe Shennan and former Birmingham striker Troy Deeney.
To tune in to talkSPORT through the website, click HERE for the live stream.
You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.
The match will also be broadcast live on Sky Sports Championship and Sky Sports Football from 7pm.
Birmingham v Ipswich: Team news
Birmingham have been active in the transfer window having brought 10 new faces into the club.
Kyogo Furuhashi penned a three-year deal at the club, while Taylor Gardner-Hickman and Alfons Sampsted made their switches permanent after successful loan spells last season.
The trio are contention to start against Ipswich as is free-transfer signing Demerai Gray who returned to the club after a stint at Al Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Ipswich could field new midfield signing Azor Matusiwa in Fridays’ clash while free agent pick-up Ashley Young could make his competitive debut.
Young could be in for a fiery debut having had two separate spells with Birmingham’s bitter rivals Aston Villa.
Omari Hutchinson is available but his future remains in the balance after rejected bids from Brentford.
Jaden Philogene is a doubt after picking up an ankle injury in last weekend’s final pre-season match and Wes Burns is out until October.
The Tractor boys will also have to do without striker Liam Delap who sealed a move to Chelsea in June.
Sam Morsy, Axel Tuanzebe and Cameron Burgess also left the club during the summer but Ipswich are hopeful of bringing in Chuba Akpom from under the noses of Birmingham as well as Jens Cajuste before the end of the window.
Birmingham v Ipswich: What has been said?
Ahead of the season opener Davies has hinted that he could stick with 23-goal Jay Stansfield rather than the temptation of handing Furuhashi his full debut.
The Birmingham boss admits the Japan star has undergone teething problems since his arrival in the West Midlands.
“We analyse every minute of every game and try to highlight things, and he does make very, very good runs and a lot of them,” Davies said.
“There are times where he’s not been seen or found, but I want him to continue to run and continue to play with that energy.
“You can see that he’s quick. There was one where he pressed the goalkeeper and you could see his change of pace.
“It is all still new for Kyogo coming into a new country, a new league and a new team, but you could see quite clearly what qualities he does have with the movement and the speed, and he’s a very good finisher, although we haven’t created too many chances for him in pre-season.”
Birmingham v Ipswich: talkSPORT BET Odds
- Birmingham – 29/10
- Draw – 23/10
- Ipswich – 19/10
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*odds subject to change. 18+ gambleaware.org