Alan Shearer delivers Wrexham promotion verdict with one demand made of Ryan Reynolds

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Alan Shearer has backed both Wrexham and Birmingham City to reach the Premier League in the near future - as long as their owners keep investing. The two Championship sides are set to go head-to-head on Friday evening after both gaining promotion from League One last season.

Birmingham are 11th in the table heading into the clash at Wrexham's Racecourse Ground, while the Red Dragons are 15th. The tie has been dubbed the "Hollywood derby" in some quarters, with Wrexham co-owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac , and NFL legend Tom Brady holding a minority stake in Birmingham .

Both clubs have been heavily backed by their owners in recent years, with Wrexham spending around £33million on 13 new players this summer after finishing second in the third tier last term . Meanwhile, Birmingham ended their last campaign as champions with a record 111 points haul after investing heavily in their squad .

The two sets of owners have made their ambition of taking their clubs to the Premier League very clear . And Newcastle legend Shearer believes that is possible, as long as they continue to back their ambitions with sufficient funding.

Speaking to Betfair , he said: "Ryan Reynolds and Tom Brady are chasing the dream of Premier League football. They're looking at huge football clubs, which Wrexham and Birmingham are, to try and chase the dream of getting to the promised land.

"Certainly, in Ryan Reynolds' view, they're closer to it than they thought they would be. They're not far away now, albeit I don't think they'll get promoted this season, but they all want a bit of the Premier League because wherever you are, it's remarkable.

"I was in Kansas City last weekend and the reaction to the Premier League is something you've never seen before. It's off the charts. So that's what they all want, they've seen it on TV, they're all very wealthy, want to invest and get a piece of the pie.

"I think they will both be in the Premier League in the near future, I do. If they continue to invest like they have done, how they get around PSR (Profit and Sustainability Rules) is a different matter, but they look at clubs who have been drifting.

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"Look at the history, how big they are and how big they can become in the area that they're in and both Birmingham and Wrexham are huge. There's a chance to grow them even bigger and there's also a chance they get what they want and reach the Premier League."

As well as their American owners, similarities have also been drawn between the two clubs due to having their own TV documentaries. Welcome to Wrexham , which airs on Disney+ in the UK, has just finished its fourth series and has proved a huge success, helping to turn Wrexham into a global name.

Meanwhile, the first series of Built In Birmingham: Brady & The Blues, streamed on Prime Video just before the new football season started. The celebrity element to the fixture between Wrexham and Birmingham has brought large attention, with Friday night's match being shown live on Sky Sports .

Wrexham AFC is the arguably the fastest-growing club in the world at the moment thanks to a certain Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

The Dragons have achieved two consecutive promotions and are cheered on by crowds from not only North Wales but also from all over the globe, thanks to the success of the Disney+ documentary 'Welcome to Wrexham'.

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