Back in the third tier of English football for the first time in 30 years, Birmingham City will commence their League One campaign as Reading visit St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park on Saturday evening.
Blues are red-hot favourites to secure an immediate return to the Championship, whilst the Royals continue to fight fires off the field as the new season approaches.
Match preview
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After 13 largely lacklustre seasons in the Championship since relegation from the Premier League in 2011, Birmingham have dropped down to the third tier of English football for the first time in the 21st century following the collection of 50 points and a 21st-placed finish in the second tier last term.
With Tony Mowbray stepping aside due to health issues, Blues have been handed the opportunity to move in a different direction this summer as they aim to ensure that their stay in League One is only a single year, with former Celtic and Tottenham Hotspur assistant Chris Davies now in charge at the Second City club.
Suffering a career-ending injury at the age of 19, the former Wales youth international has spent two decades working in football coaching and has decided the chance to assume control in the dugout at St Andrew's was the best suit for his high-energy and exciting style of play.
To say that Blues have made waves in the transfer market this summer would be an understatement, with Saturday's hosts breaking the League One transfer record on two occasions in the space of two days with the £4m arrivals of Willum Willumsson and Christoph Klarer from Go Ahead Eagles and SV Darmstadt 98 respectively.
Birmingham have also been winning domestic transfer battles, beating third-tier promotion rivals Huddersfield Town to the signing of Alfie May, who has netted an eye-watering total of 66 goals across the last three seasons at this level, meaning that he is a shoo-in for the Golden Boot award this time around.
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Under intense restrictions in terms of signings and relying on a very youthful squad, Reading managed to preserve their League One status during the 2023-24 campaign after finishing nine points clear of the bottom four in 17th, despite starting with a six-point deduction.
Although the Royals have been stripped of their star players in recent times such as John Swift, they still boast an exciting name in the managerial hotseat, with Spaniard Ruben Selles possessing experience of leading Premier League Southampton for four months during the 2022-23 term.
Amongst the host of youngsters in the Reading squad, Harlee Dean provides plenty of EFL knowhow and will be looking forward to coming up against his former employers Birmingham, for whom he featured on 200 occasions for following his move from Brentford during the summer window of 2017.
Despite a troubling ownership situation still looming over their heads, Selles and his troops have enjoyed a productive pre-season schedule, beating a number of Championship clubs this summer including last weekend, when goals from Ben Elliott and Sam Smith secured a 2-0 win over Hull City.
Reading will be looking to avoid a repeat of their most recent trip to St Andrew's during the relegation campaign of 2022-23, when Paul Ince's side ended up on the losing side of a five-goal thriller after a calamitous first half allowed Birmingham to race into a three-goal lead.
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Team News
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Birmingham are without the services of left-back Lee Buchanan, who is expected to be sidelined for at least two months due to a calf injury.
As a result, summer signing Alex Cochrane will start on the left of Blues' back four, in which Dion Sanderson and Krystian Bielik will operate as the centre-back pairing, should the latter's shoulder issue be ruled negligible.
There is a battle brewing for a spot on the left wing for Birmingham, with Siriki Dembele and Emil Hansson both elite options by League One standards.
Reading will commence the new campaign without club captain Andy Yiadom, who is still recovering from a knee injury sustained earlier in the year.
The Royals are also sweating over the fitness of defensive duo Jeriel Dorsett and Kelvin Abrefa, although Selles is hopeful that both will be available this weekend.
Birmingham City possible starting lineup:
Peacock-Farrell; Laird, Sanderson, Bielik, Cochrane; Paik, James; Miyoshi, Willumsson, Dembele; May
Reading possible starting lineup:
Pereira; Elliott, Mbengue, Dean, Abrefa; Wing, Craig, Azeez, Knibbs; Ehibhatiomhan, Smith
We say: Birmingham City 2-1 Reading
In front of a sold-out crowd at St Andrew's, Birmingham will be overwhelming favourites against cash-strapped Reading, but it is unlikely to be a simple task for the hosts on the opening weekend.
The Royals have a close-knit group who will fight for an upset in the Second City, but we feel that Blues' quality will come up trumps in the end.
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