Eng. Championship
2026-08-28 - Wrexham vs Birmingham City
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Championship
Friday 28th August 2026 - Kick Off 8pm
This game is live on TV
Wrexham
After three successive promotions, Wrexham were expected to be a club that consolidates in the Championship last season, but instead overachieved and only just missed out on a top six spot. Fans may have expected another push in the transfer market, but Wrexham have perhaps been a little too patient and are only now adding to the squad significantly.
The top eight Championship clubs will all have a chance of earning a spot in the Premier League for the 2027/28 season and Wrexham's ambitious owners will be expecting to reach the Play Off places at the very least. That means pressure is always on Phil Parkinson, despite his achievements with the club, and opening up this campaign with back to back 1-1 draws in the Championship after the early League Cup exit is a little disappointing.
Wrexham have been held by Cardiff City and Watford in the League already this season and that means they have not won any of the last 5 games in all competitions. The Red Dragons have only lost 1 of the last 5 at the Racecourse Ground, but Wrexham are searching for more consistency in front of the home fans this season and have won just twice in that run.
Birmingham City
Another club outside of the Premier League that has plenty of eyes on it from American audiences is Birmingham City who have investors like Tom Brady following the model set out by Wrexham. Much like Wrexham increased interest in the club through a documentary with a major streaming platform, Birmingham City have done the same and there are some grand visions for this Football Club.
That includes building a new Stadium, but Birmingham City fans will have been concerned when co-owner Tom Wagner suffered a serious health issue earlier in the year. He is another leading face for the club and this has not been a summer of massive financial investment, even if expectations are high around the squad that has been put together. The Blues are another Championship team that have opened the season with consecutive draws as they prepare for the third League game of the campaign.
Birmingham City did get through the League Cup First Round with a win at Swansea City, but the run was emphatically ended during the week in a 1-6 home defeat to Premier League Brentford. The side have drawn Championship fixtures with Sheffield United and Bristol City and that means Birmingham City have won 1 of the last 5 games played in all competitions. However, Birmingham City are unbeaten in 4 on their travels as they prepare for what is a rivalry fixture for those in the boardroom.
Head to Head
Birmingham City picked up four points from Wrexham last season and did the same when both were promoted from League One together at the end of the 2024/25 season.
Both of the games at the Racecourse Ground have ended 1-1 in each of the last two campaigns.
Prediction
If it was up to the owners of these two clubs, Wrexham vs Birmingham City would have been played as a Championship fixture in the United States, although those plans were rejected by the Football Association last season.
On Friday night, this is a fixture broadcasted from the Racecourse Ground that will have viewing figures rivalling most games this weekend, at least across the pond in the United States.
The boardrooms will be rivals and that does generate more motivation for the two sets of players, although Wrexham and Birmingham City should be most focused on earning a first League win of the season.
The home team should be well prepared having already exited the League Cup in the First Round earlier this month.
Wrexham produced a solid home record in the Championship last season, but Birmingham City have matched up pretty well against them over the last two years. Both fixtures here ended 1-1 and that result would not be a surprise again, although Phil Parkinson will feel his Wrexham team have been defending well enough to restrict what Birmingham City can do.
The Blues are unbeaten in 4 away games going back to last season and perhaps need to show a bit more in the final third, but this should be another competitive fixture between the teams and backing both teams to score is the pick.
The Pick :
Wrexham 1-1 Birmingham City
