Wycombe Wanderers manager Matt Bloomfield wants his side to play with ‘energy and enthusiasm’ in the club’s opening home league game of the season.

The Chairboys take on Birmingham City at Adams Park this weekend, with the former Premier League side being one of the favourites for promotion.

Their relegation into League One means it’s the first time they have played in the third tier since 1994/95, spending the previous 29 campaigns in either the Championship or in the top-flight.

The Blues have also had a solid pre-season, securing five wins from six games, whilst also signing 11 new faces.

This includes former Wanderers keeper Ryan Allsop from Hull City for nearly £1m, and prolific  goalscorer, Alfie May, from Charlton Athletic.

May, who has scored 93 club goals since the 2019/20 season, bagged four strikes against Wycombe in an incredible 5-5 draw for Cheltenham Town in February 2022.

Other notable names include ex-Leeds United and Burnley goalkeeper, Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Willum Willumsson from Dutch side, Go Ahead Eagles, Marc Leonard, who has spent the last two years on loan at Northampton Town from Brighton & Hove Albion.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s clash, Bloomfield said: “When the fixtures came out, Wrexham away, Birmingham at home, we knew that we were going to have an exciting start to the season

“They are two really big games for us.

“We had a real good go with Wrexham last week and unfortunately, we were on the wrong side of a 3-2 defeat.

“With Birmingham, they have recruited incredibly well.

“They have one of the most exciting young coaches in the country [in Chris Davies] and I’m sure they'll be extremely well drilled.

“We've already watched them back from the game against Reading last week.

“They retain possession really well and play with a lovely style and philosophy style and we know we're going to be expecting.”

Following the opening day loss against Wrexham on August 10, Bloomfield made four changes to the side for the EFL Cup tie away at Northampton.

This worked as Wanderers won the fixture 2-0 to secure their first win this season.

And Bloomfield admits he might have some selection headaches going into Saturday’s match.

He continued: “Everyone who came into the team on Tuesday evening performed incredibly well, especially to get a clean sheet away from home.

“The defenders put in a good shift, and with the two up top in Richard Kone and Daniel Udoh, they gave us a really good threat.

“So we have to consider how the energy of the group is.

We need to make sure that we pick the right team because when we're at our best, we play with real energy and enthusiasm and we need to make sure that first.”