Birmingham City pre-season: fixtures confirmed, Rangers rumors and training camp

Birmingham City have confirmed their first pre-season friendly against German second-tier side SC Paderborn 07.

The Blues will play Paderborn at the end of their week-long training camp in Austria on July 13 at the Pendlingstadion, Thiersee. Paderborn finished seventh in Bundesliga II under manager Lukas Kwasniok last season.

The Blues have yet to confirm any other friendlies for their pre-season schedule. The club have traveled to Solihull Moors for The Arthur Cup – a competition named after Arthur Labinjo-Hughes – in each of the last two summers.

The Blues were rumored to face Rangers in a pre-season friendly at St Andrew’s. The Daily Record claims Rangers are top of the Blues’ shortlist for a glamor friendly against one of Trevor Francis’ former clubs.

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Francis died last summer aged 69 and the Blues announced plans to build a statue in tribute to one of their greatest players. The prospect of playing a friendly against one of his former clubs was also mooted.

The Blues will play a number of other games once they return from Austria on July 14 in preparation for the start of the Ligue 1 season on the weekend of August 10/11.

Pre-season plans confirmed

• Pre-season tournament, Austria, Monday 8 July – Sunday 14 July
• SC Paderborn 07 – Blues, Saturday 13 July, kick-off 4pm (local time), Pendlingstadion