Birmingham City fate to be shaped by Aston Villa and Wolves decision

Birmingham are likely to begin their English third-tier campaign away from St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park following a hint from the Premier League’s official fixture schedule release.

The decision has been made for Blues’ local rivals Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers to both play away from home on the opening weekend. Those fixtures align with Birmingham’s second outing of the season, meaning Blues will almost certainly be at home second but away first of all.

This is due to the policing strategy in the West Midlands, avoiding Birmingham and Villa both playing on the same day in the Second City. It’s often the case that Wolves’ home schedule often doesn’t align with Blues, either, despite the far lesser rivalry.

The official League One fixtures will be released for Chris Davies’ side next Wednesday, June 26. If the Premier League hint is correct, it will be an away game to start and a home match to follow.

Villa’s opening fixture of the season is a trip on the road to West Ham United on August 17, while Wolves will take on Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on the same day. The pair’s second matches - on August 24 - are against Arsenal (H) and Chelsea (H) respectively.