Both of these sides had contrasting fortunes at the tail end of last season in The Championship, with the visitors needing a final-day win to escape the drop, while Mick McCarthy’s side petered out badly.
Ahead of our Ipswich Town vs Birmingham City preview, the Tractor Men failed to score in their final three Championship match days, with bottom club Rotherham United even able to keep a clean sheet.
In pre season, McCarthy’s side have boosted morale with wins over Drogheda United, Peterborough and Colchester, but a resounding 6-1 defeat at the hands of Charlton Athletic sticks out.
At Portman Road, however, the hosts have lost just one of their last eight home matches, influencing our Ipswich Town vs Birmingham City predictions hugely. The Blues aren’t great travellers.
Harry Redknapp has chosen to stay in charge for the coming campaign with Birmingham, a move which may have surprised many people, after his successful escape from relegation.
The signings of Cheikh Ndoye and David Stockdale will have given the visiting fans something to think about this summer, but the Blues’ pre-season results have certainly been a mixed bag.
Ipswich will be hoping that new signing Joe Garner can hark back to his Preston North End form, after he was signed from Scottish club Rangers, with the hosts struggling for goals last season.
According to our Ipswich Town vs Birmingham City picks, the hosts shouldn’t be worried about falling to an opening day defeat, but creating goals for themselves could be a challenge.