How Tom Wagner feels about Birmingham City's season opener vs Ipswich Town | OneFootball

Blues begin their Championship campaign against the newly-relegated Tractor Boys

Birmingham City supporters can now officially begin planning for next season after fixtures for the upcoming Championship season were released at 12PM on 26th June.

Blues' last fixture at second tier level saw them relegated despite a 1-0 win over Norwich City at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park on May 4th, 2024.

The club's return to the division has created a strong sense of anticipation regarding the potential performance of Chris Davies' side across 46 games after they romped to the League One title in record-breaking fashion last season, accumulating an EFL-high total of 111 points, winning 34 league games in the process.

Just like 12 months ago, transfer activity in B9 has, and will continue to generate plenty of discourse, with the West Midlands outfit linked with a plethora of stunning transfer news, which included an exclusive revelation from FLW that Wolves midfielder, Tommy Doyle, is set to join on loan with an option-to-buy inserted.

It has been claimed that Knighthead Capital Management are expected to back Davies with strong resources that will rival the newly-relegated trio of Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton when it comes to sourcing transfer deals. And, as well as going toe-to-toe off the pitch, Blues will immediately do battle with one of these sides when the season gets underway on Friday, August 8th.

Blues owner, Tom Wagner, has built up a strong connection with supporters in this part of the Second City, engaging massively with Bluenoses whenever he is in attendance at St Andrew's, which included the final home game of last season against Mansfield Town, after which he delivered an extremely passionate speech.

After performing admirably against two Premier League sides last season - Fulham and Newcastle United - in the EFL Cup and FA Cup respectively, Blues will immediately be able to test themselves against another of last term's top-flight outfits, with Kieran McKenna bringing his Ipswich Town side to Small Heath on opening night.

The game has been selected as the Championship's season opener by rights holders, Sky Sports, meaning the game will kick-off at 8PM.

Blues confirmed such developments on the club's official Instagram profile shortly after fixtures for all 72 clubs in the Championship, League One and League Two were announced, with Wagner already showcasing his excitement for what will be a pulsating encounter in six weeks' time.

"Friday night lights. LFG," the American stated in the comments, with the club account posting a secondary message of "that atmosphere for the first game though. Jheeeeeeez."

Birmingham City have previous opening game history against Ipswich Town

With many comparing last season to the 1994/95 campaign under Barry Fry, there is yet another similarity in place, as Blues marked their return to the second tier 30 years ago with a home clash against the Tractor Boys.

A crowd of 18,910 were in attendance to see the newly-promoted side defeat a newly-relegated Ipswich outfit 3-1 in the Second City thanks to goals from Paul Tait, Ricky Otto and Paul Bowen.

The last time the two sides met in B9 was on November 5th 2023, with Town coming from behind to secure a 2-2 draw on their way to back-to-back promotions, a feat which some expect could occur if Blues are to continue riding the crest of a wave.

A sell-out crowd will no doubt be expected for this upcoming clash, with Ipswich expected to be among the front-runners for promotion despite the sale of Liam Delap to Chelsea for £30m, meaning victory for Birmingham would send out another early-season warning to their 23 divisional counterparts.