Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray believes Town will be a big test for his side when the teams meet in their opening game live on Sky on Sunday 6 August.
Former Blues skipper and coach Mowbray, whose side finished sixth last season and reached the play-off semi-finals before being beaten by Luton, says the Championship has become tougher this summer.
"The landscape has changed because the relegated Premier League teams can spend £10m or £8m on a player, and there have been some pretty big additions to their squads,” Mowbray, 59, told Chronicle Live.
"Of course, they have lost maybe £50 million or £100 million-worth of players if you look at, say, Leicester who have lost [James] Maddison and [Harvey] Barnes.
"They have lost some really talented players for big money and have tried to replace them with big signings in the Championship.
"Leicester, Southampton, Leeds, are three pretty big, established, football clubs that will be a handful in this division so let's see how they adjust and adapt.
"It seems this season the league is going to be tougher - even Ipswich Town coming up [from League One].
"I was there for nine years as a player and coach, it's a big club with a big fanbase and they are very passionate having won the FA Cup in 1978 and the UEFA Cup in 1981.
"It's a big, big club, and it will be a big test for us on the opening day. Sheffield Wednesday also coming out of that league, then Plymouth as a bit of an unknown quantity.
"The league looks tough but I am sure that other teams look at Sunderland and think 'that's a tough fixture' home and away.”
The Black Cats still have two friendlies to play, against La Liga RCD Mallorca at the Stadium of Light on Saturday and at National League Hartlepool next Tuesday.
"I think we're already anxious to get going,” continued Mowbray, whose assistant on Wearside is another Blues legend, Mark Venus.
"But we've got a couple of games first against Mallorca at the weekend and then Hartlepool on Tuesday. We're all just keen to get started now.”