New boys Birmingham host title favourites Ipswich in a fascinating clash to kick-off the 25/26 Championship season. Will City maintain their momentum?
Best bets for Birmingham City vs Ipswich Town
All odds are courtesy of bet365, correct at the time of publishing and subject to change.
- Ipswich Draw No Bet @ 1/1 with bet365
- Over 2.5 Goals @ 11/10 with bet365
- Both Teams to Score @ 5/6 with bet365
Backing the visitors - with a backstop
There’s no doubt that Birmingham City have made big moves in the transfer market since returning to the second tier. Many people think they will try to compete for back-to-back promotions, like Ipswich Town did in 2023/24.
However, it shouldn’t be forgotten that Ipswich are a different team now. The Tractor Boys used their Premier League revenue to invest in elite-level Championship stars like Jack Clarke, Jaden Philogene, Sam Szmodics, and Jacob Greaves.
This squad, with new quality players like Azor Matusiwa, will be competing for automatic promotion again. Backing Kieran McKenna’s side to win at even-money – with a full refund if the game ends in a draw – seems like the value play of our Birmingham City vs Ipswich Town predictions.
- Birmingham City vs Ipswich Town Bet 1: Ipswich Town (Draw No Bet) @ 1/1 with bet365
Both teams fired up for goals
Both squads have plenty of firepower for this game. The likes of Jay Stansfield, Kyogo Furuhashi, and Demarai Gray will be the Blues’ main goal threats.
Meanwhile, Ipswich have George Hirst, Jack Clarke, and the 2023/24 Championship top scorer, Sam Szmodics, in their ranks. Although neither team will want to lose on the opening weekend, it’s not in either team’s nature to play defensively.
That’s why it’s worth backing the Over 2.5 goals line at a probability of 48.78%.
- Birmingham City vs Ipswich Town Bet 2: Over 2.5 goals @ 11/10 with bet365
Goals expected from both sides
It’s clear that both teams possess goal threats, so it’s worth doubling down on the likelihood of goals by backing both teams to find the back of the net too.
Birmingham’s defence haven’t faced a forward line as strong as Ipswich’s in a competitive contest for a while. Meanwhile, the Blues keeper Ryan Allsop is arguably one of the weaker players in their lineup.
When Ipswich landed automatic promotion out of this division two seasons ago, they scored plenty of goals. They were the league’s top scorers, with 92 goals scored at an average of two per game. However, they conceded 57 goals, equating to an average of 1.24 goals per game.
- Birmingham City vs Ipswich Town Bet 3: Both Teams to Score (Yes) @ 5/6 with bet365
Birmingham vs Ipswich Preview: Stern Test for Tractor Boys
Newly-promoted Birmingham welcome recently-relegated Ipswich to St Andrews this evening for the opening game of the 2025/26 Championship season.
The Blues set record last year during their promotion campaign in League 1 as they amassed 111 points, an EFL record, on their way to the title.
It was the opposite for Ipswich however, as the Tractor Boys finished 19th in the Premier League, which was their first time at that level since 2001/02.
The home side enter the tie as favourites with the bookies at 7/5, a price that's down to just how ambitious Birmingham have been in the transfer market recently.
Acquisitions such as Kyogo Furuhashi, Marvin Duckch, Demarai Gray and Bright Osayi-Samuel have seen many label Birmingham as one of the favourites to finish in the top six this season, a market that today's opponents are favourites for.
Kieran McKenna's side are 23/10 win today with bet365, as they open their season with one of the hardest games they've have all year.
They're favourites to go up and win the title given the strength and size of their squad, with tonight's game set to be a good litmus test for both sides as the new Championship season starts off with a bang.
Probable lineups for Birmingham City vs Ipswich Town
Birmingham City expected lineup: Allsop; Osayi-Samuel, Klarer, Neumann, Cochrane, Seung-Ho, Iwata, Doyle, Anderson, Gray, Stansfield
Ipswich Town expected lineup: Palmer; Johnson, O’Shea, Greaves, Davis, Matusiwa, Taylor, Szmodics, J. Clarke, Ogbene, Hirst