Birmingham City head coach Amy Merricks says her side are ready to go toe-to-toe with reigning Women's Super League champions Manchester City as they step back into the top flight.
Birmingham sealed the WSL 2 title on the final day of last season, ending a four-year spell in the second tier. Their reward is a tough start: a trip to the Joie Stadium on Sunday (14:30 BST), the same ground where a 6-0 defeat back in May 2022 sent them down. Manchester City won every home league game last season, but Merricks says her side aren't intimidated by the occasion. She described it as a good time to face City, insisting Birmingham are ready for the test and have come to compete rather than simply make up the numbers. Her focus, she added, stays on her own team regardless of the opponent's pedigree.
Birmingham averaged just over two goals a game last season and built a reputation for attacking football — an identity Merricks is determined to keep. She called it central to who Birmingham are and stressed the team won't lose their attacking strengths just because the opposition has improved, pointing to their cup form last season as proof they don't fear anyone.
Manchester City boss Andree Jeglertz isn't taking Birmingham lightly either, recalling a hard-fought 1-0 FA Cup win over them in the spring and noting the energy newly promoted sides typically bring to their opening matches. With City chasing back-to-back titles for the first time in a decade, Jeglertz says complacency isn't an option his side need to stay hungry or risk being overtaken.
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