Sheffield United boss Kevin Blackwell admits his side face a tough opening fixture - but insists Birmingham will be thinking exactly the same.City will be among the favourites to bounce straight back to the Premier League at the first attempt but Blackwell's side will be no pushovers at St Andrews.

"Sure, Birmingham will be strong opposition but it will be tough for them too," he said.

"I hope they do have a bit of a hangover from relegation but they will have a few new lads wanting to prove themselves and impress their own fans, especially in front of the TV cameras.

"I am looking for a good performance from us, as we did towards the end of last season when we had a good run.

"It might take a bit of time to pick up that momentum but we want to get there as quickly as possible - we can't wait to get started."

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