Ipswich boss tips Birmingham to challenge for Championship promotion

Town, just down from the Premier League, and Birmingham, who won League One with 111 points last season, are both among the bookies' favourites for Championship promotion in 2025/26.

Speaking ahead of the the pair facing off at St Andrew's in a narrative-laden curtain-raiser tonight (8pm, Sky Sports), McKenna, who led Ipswich to successive promotions in 2023 and 2024, was asked if he saw the ambitious Midlands outfit being able to repeat that rare feat.

"Look, it's not something I spend too much time thinking about," he replied.

"But from watching them over the last couple of weeks in preparation for the game, I expect them to be a very, very strong side in the Championship.

"I certainly think they'll be up there or thereabouts at the top end of the division. They've got a very good chance to be. I thought they were a strong side last time they were in the Championship, to be honest (when relegated with 50 points).

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"Obviously, some decisions and different things went against them, which can happen, and they ended up in League One. But from that point, they've only invested and recruited more. So it's a very strong team, a big club with a good manager and a very good playing squad.

"I think they'll be very, very competitive this year. But it's the Championship and, for any of us, predictions aren't always worth a whole lot.

"It's about what you bring each week, two times a week, and what you bring day to day. I'm sure Chris (Davies) will be aware of that, as we are as well. I think every game is going to be a hard fought one and Friday night is certainly going to be the same."

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On this being a mouth-watering opening night fixture for the neutral, the Blues boss joked: "Amazing coincidence it gets drawn! Yeah, it's a really good fixture. It's one we're really looking forward to. You really want an opening fixture that is a really big challenge and it's going to be a really intense game.

"I know the players are excited. We're going to go there on Friday night, try to impose the best of ourselves and hopefully that's enough to get us off the mark in terms of points."

Birmingham's home league record last season was an impressive 19 wins, four draws and zero defeats. On them having positive momentum, McKenna said: "I don't really think that's as pivotal as it's made out. People look from the outside and it's like you're on the crest of a wave. But it's about doing the right things every day to try and get the performances, to try and get the results. Momentum can be won and can be lost quickly. Narratives can change really, really quickly in football.

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"We had momentum at the start of that promotion season. We also had a period around Christmas where we didn't win very much. Ultimately it's about how good your work is, how good your processes are and how good the performances are. That's the only thing that will ultimately lead to results."

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