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.
Two teams have large gap in historical success
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…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/wrexham-birmingham-set-to-meet-in-much-anticipated-match/
Author : Chris Moore
Publish date : 2024-09-14 18:43:04
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