It Will Be Intimidating – Ex-Striker Warns Ipswich About Birmingham City Clash | OneFootball

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Former Ipswich Town striker Sam Parkin has warned the Tractor Boys that Birmingham City will have vociferous home support at their back in the Championship tonight.

Ipswich and Birmingham City are both back in the Championship after spending one season away from the second tier.

Birmingham City have been busy in the ongoing transfer window as they aim for a second successive promotion, with German attacker Marvin Ducksch the latest through the door.

Ipswich and Birmingham both went head-to-head for the signature of Ajax centre forward Chuba Akpom, with Ipswich hijacking the deal.

Despite Blues’ effort to convince the player, Akpom has chosen Ipswich and they are closing in on a deal.

The two clubs will once again go head-to-head but this time on the pitch when Kieran McKenna takes his side to St. Andrew’s to welcome Birmingham back to the Championship.

Parkin can see why people are considering Ipswich favourites to go back up in the Premier League this season and praised McKenna for building a very competitive Championship squad.

However, he warned that Ipswich will have to worry about Birmingham City, who are under new ownership with a new-look stadium, with an intimidating fanbase behind them at St Andrew’s and predicted that the Tractor Boys’ ride in the Championship will begin with defeat on the road.

“I think there is going to be more of a love-in for Ipswich just because everyone fancies them really strongly and I think there are real valid reasons for that”, Parkin said on the Championship Predictions Show (3:00).

“He [McKenna] is a very, very good manager and he has put together a very competitive squad for the Championship, whether he intended to or not, that is the fact.

“I just think that everyone’s going to be big anticipating Ipswich starting as they mean to go on.

“However, we have the stardust of Birmingham, and despite the new glossy stand and the extra liquor paint on St. Andrew’s, I think there will still be an intimidating vociferous home support.

“For that reason, I am going to go to Ipswich to start with a bump in the road. I am going to go 1-0 home victory for Birmingham.”

Birmingham will be looking to prove themselves in the Championship under Chris Davies and will be aiming to finish as high up as possible.

Ipswich have not won a game at St. Andrew’s since their 2014 meeting, where they won the game 1-0.