Double European champion Mo Farah will go head-to-head with compatriot Chris Thompson at both the Aviva Birmingham Grand Prix and the Aviva London Grand Prix this summer.

Farah and Thompson, who achieved a memorable 1-2 at the European Championships last summer when representing the Aviva Great Britain & Northern Ireland team over 10000m, will drop down a distance for their very own battle of the Brits.

The duo will lock horns in the 5000m - first at Birmingham Alexander Stadium on 10 July, when the city hosts its very first Samsung Diamond League meet, and then four weeks later at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.

Last year in Zurich, Farah became the first Briton ever to run the 5000m in under 13 minutes, doing so in a time of 12:57.94 and breaking David Moorcroft’s 28-year record of 13:00.41, while Thompson set a new personal best of 13:11.51 in the 5000m at the 2010 Aviva British Grand Prix in Gateshead.

Farah announced his decision to relocate to Portland, Oregon, USA under the tutelage of coach Alberto Salazar in February, but the announcement of UK dates for his competition diary – ahead of the IAAF World Championships in Daegu this August - signals the importance of a UK-based build-up centred around the Aviva Series.

Farah, who has finished 6th and 7th in the previous two World finals, said: “Competing in the UK is important to me and always will be – I think every competition over the next year or so will be amazing, the whole country is getting geared up for the biggest sporting event in our lifetime and that makes me really excited to come back and compete.

“Obviously 2011 has been a big year for me with a lot of changes. Life in America is going well and so far this year I’ve had only good results, which gives me confidence when I’m looking ahead to the rest of the season, especially the World Championships. I feel like Berlin [World Championships] was such a long time ago now and that I have progressed a lot since then.

“At the moment my plan is to run four Samsung Diamond League meets before the World Championships. Obviously with the Aviva London Grand Prix being one of the last stops before Daegu, I’m keen to get a good result there and look forward to lining up in front of a home crowd.”

Tickets are nearly sold out for the Aviva Birmingham Grand Prix, where Farah arrives on the back of a whirlwind indoor season which saw him firstly smash the European indoor record at the Aviva Grand Prix at Birmingham’s NIA, before scooping gold at the European Indoor Championships in Paris.

And Farah, who now has won staggering six European titles, has signalled his intent to build on these performances as he looks to replicate his success from the indoor season to the outdoor competitions.

“To get gold medals in Barcelona and Paris was fantastic,” he added. “I don’t feel extra pressure going in to major championships because of my previous performances, I have to think about each race on its own and shut everything else out.

“Last time I was in Birmingham, I got the indoor European 5000m record and the crowd really pulled me through that race right up to the finish line so I’m excited to get back to the city.”

The Aviva Birmingham Grand Prix will be at the Alexander Stadium on 10 July and the Aviva London Grand Prix will be at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre 5-6 August. For tickets or more information go to uka.org.uk/aviva-series or phone 08000 556 056