EFL Championship: Birmingham City vs Ipswich Town - Betting Tips, Odds & Prediction

The 2025/26 EFL Championship opens with a thrilling battle between two promotion hopefuls, Birmingham City and Ipswich Town. 

The Blues dream of bringing Premier League football back to St Andrew’s Stadium in 2026, but they'll first need to prove their mettle against a side that played in the top flight recently. Ipswich Town couldn’t cope with the intensity of the Premier League last season, but they will feel they have a good enough side to mount another Championship title charge this season. 

Football betting sites have rolled out their odds for this Championship fixture. Read on for our match preview, including expert betting tips that could earn you a juicy $8.50 return.

Birmingham City

EFL Championship outright odds across betting sites in NZ suggest Birmingham City, after smashing records in League One, are set to take the English second-tier by storm. 

Chris Davies’ side flexed their muscles in the transfer market with a flurry of signings, and made it clear that a second successive promotion is firmly in their sights. 

Birmingham went unbeaten at home last season, and although the level of competition will rise this term, the Blues will be eager to make St. Andrew’s a fortress once again.

Team News: Seung-ho Paik and Lyndon Dykes might have to sit out the first match of the campaign as they battle injuries. 

Predicted Lineup: Allsop; Sampsted, Klarer, Bielik, Cochrane; Iwata, Doyle; Fujimoto, Willumsson, Hansson; Stansfield.

Ipswich Town

Just a year ago, Kieran McKenna was one of the hottest managerial properties in world football. Betting apps had him among the favourites to take over at Premier League heavyweights like Manchester United or Chelsea.

He chose to stay with Ipswich Town, but failed to recreate the magic of his Championship run in the Premier League. McKenna and Ipswich are back in the second-tier once again, but they do look perfectly suited for another promotion push. 

Over 116 EFL games, McKenna has maintained a 58.3% win rate and a +0.83 expected goals difference, setting the Tractor Boys up for another solid Championship campaign. 

Team News: Sammie Szmodics will face a late fitness test. Wes Burns, however, is definitely set to miss the trip to Birmingham.

Predicted Lineup: Muric; Davis, Greaves, Woolfenden, Johnson; Taylor, Matusiwa; Philogene, Hutchinson, Clarke; Hirst.

• Three of the last five Championship matches between Birmingham and Ipswich have ended in draws. 
• Birmingham have not beaten Ipswich in a Championship game since 2018.
• Each of the last four Championship matches between Birmingham and Ipswich has seen both teams score.

Birmingham’s pre-season form has been strong overall, though occasional complacency has crept in. 

The Blues see these results as fitness markers rather than anything more serious. Pre-season losses to lower-division sides rarely trouble the manager, but their 1-0 triumph over Forest might well encourage the starting XI to sustain that level against Ipswich.

Ipswich have reportedly hijacked the Blues’ late pursuit of former Middlesbrough striker Chuba Akpom, adding a layer of bad blood to an already tense transfer saga. The atmosphere could be even more charged if either side secures this key signing before kick off.

Ipswich Town have proven to be dangerous, scoring first in four of their last five games. Still, Birmingham should hold the advantage at home, especially with a lively crowd behind them on Friday night local time.

Birmingham 2- 1 Ipswich @ $8.50

Since both teams are title favourites, we expect a cautious start to this opening fixture. However, the game should open up in the later stages, with goals likely at both ends. Ipswich are a strong side at this level, but even they will face a tough challenge against a roaring St. Andrew’s. We’re backing a 2-1 Birmingham win, taking advantage of PlayUp’s generous $8.50 payout on this line.