Birmingham and Ipswich meet on Friday in the opening game of the 2025/26 Championship season, as two of the promotion contenders go head-to-head in a blockbuster opener to kick off the season.
The Blues were ruthless during their League One campaign, which saw the home side finish the season unbeaten at St. Andrews, having won 19 and drawn four of their 23 league games on home soil. This summer, backed by the riches available through their ownership, the Blues have strengthened significantly with the signings of Kyogo Furuhashi and a welcome return to Demari Gray to bolster their attacking department and established centre-back Eiran Cashin from Brighton & Hove Albion on loan.
As for Ipswich Town, the jump from League One to the Premier League was a step too far for Kieran McKenna's side as they fell to an immediate return to the Championship after one season in England's top flight. Ipswich Town lost the likes of Axel Tuanzebe and Liam Delap this summer, but will have enough quality with the likes of Sammie Szmodics and George Hirst as the attacking options for the Tractor Boys.
As mentioned above, Birmingham City were excellent in the attacking areas, averaging 4.6 shots on target per game in League One, and since then, they have bolstered their ranks to provide plenty of attacking ammunition for this game. Ipswich Town posted a moderate attacking average with their 3.3 shots on target per game in a league where they struggled. Their last season in the Championship saw the Tractor Boys average 5.7 shots on target per league match.