"I mean this respectfully" - Mike Dodds drops honest Birmingham City, Chris Davies claim | OneFootball

Wycombe Wanderers head coach Mike Dodds claims Birmingham City are where they should be ahead of top of the table clash.

Excitement is building ahead of Saturday's lunchtime League One showdown between the top two at St Andrews @ Knighthead Park.

Wycombe Wanderers travel to face runaway league leaders Birmingham City, which could prove to be a decisive game in the race for the League One title. The hosts have a nine-point lead over Wanderers, and also have a game in hand. With that in mind, this is a must-win game for both sides.

New Wycombe head coach Mike Dodds is certainly aware of what he's up against this weekend. The 38-year-old makes his return to the Midlands club having spent many years working there as a youth coach. This Saturday, the aim of Dodds is to take what could be a hugely important three points.

The former Sunderland assistant spoke to the press on Thursday afternoon ahead of the highly-anticipated clash. Dodds spoke of his respect for Birmingham and their head coach Chris Davies, whilst being honest about where the Blues find themselves in the league table.

Mike Dodds believes Birmingham City are where they should be

Davies has been a superb appointment for Birmingham thus far. Despite all the eyes being on the Blues thanks to their emphatic spending, no external pressure seems to have seeped into the camp, and the squad has gelled very nicely.

Wycombe's Dodds also shared a similar feeling when he was asked about this weekend's opponents, telling the press: “They [Birmingham] are an incredible team at this level and I mean this respectfully when I say this, so they should be.

“The finances and the amount of money that’s gone into their playing squad, they’ve probably spent more than 50 or 60% of the Championship.

“They should be where they are, but I say that respectfully because Chris [Davies] has done an incredible job to gel what would be seen as superstars at this level."

Wycombe have a chance to prove their quality in exciting clash

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It's been a busy few weeks for Wycombe, with Matt Bloomfield heading to Luton Town and the subsequent appointment of Dodds. The new Chairboys boss is yet to taste defeat in the league, and feels this weekend is a great opportunity to make a statement.

The 38-year-old said: “We’ve got a wonderful opportunity to show everyone just how good we are and that’s our mindset going into the game.”

Having beaten Bristol Rovers last Tuesday to secure his first victory in charge of the Chairboys, Dodds is eager to make his return to the Midlands a success, but is fully aware of the difficult task that awaits him and his team. The Wanderers boss is making sure to keep himself and his squad grounded ahead of the fixture.

With that in mind, it's key that Dodds shows the opposition the utmost respect, as the quality Birmingham have at their disposal is something League One has never seen before. If Wycombe are able to come away from St Andrews @ Knighthead Park with a positive result, that would really show their mettle as promotion contenders.