Birmingham City and Wrexham are set to meet on Monday in what will be League One’s marquee matchup of the season. The two teams are somewhat similar behind the scenes but also historically quite polarizing.
High-profile North American businessmen entered the fray at both clubs in recent years. Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney previously purchased Wrexham back in 2020. American billionaire Tom Wagner then took over at Birmingham three years later.
The latter move also included NFL legend Tom Brady arriving at the club as minority owner and chairman.
With the famous new investors in place, both teams now have high ambitions. In fact, Premier League dreams are not out of the question for either side.
Outside of the similarity of ownerships, Birmingham and Wrexham are actually fairly different.
Birmingham has collected four second-tiered Championship trophies, as well as multiple FA Cup and League Cup triumphs. The Blues even have more major trophies, albeit just one, since 2010 than Premier League mainstays Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, and Aston Villa.
Wrexham, on the other hand, has never featured in England’s top flight. The Red Dragons have also never lifted an FA Cup or League Cup trophy in their 159-year history.
Despite this, the two teams have recently gone in different directions. After multiple seasons of flirting with relegation, Birmingham was finally sent down to League One back in May. Wrexham, however, recently featured in the fifth-tiered National League just a few seasons ago. They have since earned back-to-back promotions to reach League One.
The teams are now considered two of the favorites to win the league during the current campaign. At the moment, Birmingham and Wrexham are two of only three League One sides to have not suffered a league loss so far this season. While it is still early in the campaign, Monday’s winner will hold the upper hand going forward.
Because of the American connections, rumors previously surfaced that the game would be held across the pond. Nevertheless, the much-anticipated fixture will be played at Birmingham’s home of St Andrew’s. The historic arena is currently the biggest in the entire third-tiered division.
Wrexham’s head coach, Phil Parkinson, could not tamp down his excitement for the game in a recent interview with Sky Sports. “It’s one of the fixtures everybody looked for,” claimed the coach. “St Andrew’s has probably a near 30,000 crowd. These are the games we’ve worked so hard to be involved in.”
“And we’re very excited about the game and preparation is going well for it. It’s just another three points at stake. But equally, yeah, it’s a fantastic stage to go and play. And we’re really looking forward to the challenge which Birmingham presents.”
After opening the 2024/25 campaign with a home draw, Birmingham has rattled off three consecutive victories. Wrexham has faired even better so far this season. The Red Dragons entered the weekend with the most scores and fewest goals allowed in the division. American fans hoping to catch Monday’s massive match are in luck.
The fixture will be available live on CBS Sports Network beginning at 3 PM ET.
Photo credit: IMAGO / NurPhoto
