Saturday’s opponents Forest Green Rovers have announced the signing of free agent former Blues striker Connor Wickham.
The 29-year-old, who has signed an initial deal until January, left the MK Dons after six months at the end of 2021/22 having spent the first half of the campaign at Preston North End.
"I had a chat with the manager last week and I had a good think about it and this is definitely an exciting project that I want to be part of,” Wickham told the official Rovers website.
"This team are coming into this season on the back of getting promoted and the club are going in the right direction.
"The style of play at Forest Green suits me and is a part to my game that some people may not be aware of. I want to get back to my best here.”
Forest Green’s head coach Ian Burchnall added: "Connor's name was brought to us a couple of weeks ago so I we met with him and thought it seemed a really good fit.
"We know his top level is extremely high and we want to build him up so he can be great player for us.
"He was hungry to join us and be a part of what we're working on here at Forest Green - he's a great fit.”
Wickham came through the Town academy and became the club's youngest-ever first-team player when he made his debut in April 2009 aged 16 years and 11 days.
The England U21 international departed for Sunderland for an initial £8.1 million fee in the summer of 2011, then having had spells on loan at Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United, he moved on to Crystal Palace in 2015.
Another spell with the Owls followed before he was released by the Eagles last summer.
The Blues face Forest Green at The Bolt New Lawn on Saturday afternoon in the first competitive game between the clubs.