Aiming to keep their top-two dreams a reality, Ipswich Town will welcome Birmingham City to Portman Road for an intriguing-looking Championship clash on Saturday afternoon.
The Tractor Boys' recent upturn in form has allowed them to stay in the automatic promotion conversation, while back-to-back wins for Blues have steered them clear of trouble near the bottom of the division.
Match preview
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Ipswich seemed to have moved away from their mid-season slump thanks to three-straight victories in the Championship over the past fortnight, winning away matches at Millwall and Swansea City before defeating Leam Richardson's Rotherham United at Portman Road on Tuesday night.
An eye-watering 67 goals have now been scored in 16 league matches at the Tractor Boys' East Anglian home following a seven-goal thriller against the relegation-threatened Millers, with strikes from Kieffer Moore and Omari Hutchinson - as well as a Wes Burns brace - ensuring the hosts collected all three points.
After a highly-concerning run of one win in nine Championship matches between December and early February, Kieran McKenna's men have earned a maximum of nine points from their three contests since Valentine's Day, although third-placed Ipswich are yet to rekindle their relationship with second in the league standings, sitting in the playoffs behind Leeds United due to goal difference.
As was the case during their promotion-winning campaign of 2022-23 in League One, the Tractor Boys have made Portman Road a fortress this season - only sixth-tier Maidstone United have managed to topple Ipswich in Suffolk during the last 10 matches across all competitions.
With striker George Hirst currently occupying a place in the medical room due to a hamstring issue, the January arrival of Bournemouth loanee Moore has been greatly appreciated by those of an Ipswich persuasion, with the Welshman scoring four goals in as many Championship starts since moving from the South Coast.
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Following three-straight defeats on the road at Leicester City, West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield Wednesday, Birmingham have given their survival hopes a significant boost by recording back-to-back wins over Blackburn Rovers and Sunderland at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.
The Black Cats' Jack Clarke assumed the role of party killer by putting his side into a first-half lead in front of a sold-out Second City crowd, but Blues rallied in the second period to sentence Michael Beale to the sack, with Jordan James and Koji Miyoshi scoring in front of a jubilant Tilton Road end.
Back-to-back wins over the past week have been overshadowed by news surrounding Tony Mowbray, who is stepping back from managerial duties at Birmingham for up to eight weeks in order to receive treatment following a medical diagnosis, leaving assistant coach Mark Venus in charge of the first team in the interim.
Former Ipswich player Venus has spent two decades as Mowbray's right-hand man and will no doubt have the ability to navigate Birmingham through a period without their manager, with Saturday's visitors possessing a six-point buffer over 22nd-placed Queens Park Rangers ahead of this weekend.
One characteristic of Birmingham's which screams relegation scrap is their worrying away record, with Blues collecting just 11 points from their 16 matches away from St Andrew's in the second tier, conceding 30 goals in the process.
Team News
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With Hirst expected back at the start of next month, Ipswich will start loanee Moore at the focal point of their attack once again, with Conor Chaplin to play behind the striker.
The Tractor Boys are unable to call on the services of first-choice right-back Brandon Williams due to a leg injury, meaning that Harry Clarke will continue his stint in the XI.
McKenna is set to rotate his side slightly from the one which went to battle with Rotherham on Tuesday night, so the likes of Nathan Broadhead and Massimo Luongo could earn starting berths.
Birmingham remain without the services of Alex Pritchard because of a calf injury, although the January signing is set to return to first-team training on Monday.
Kevin Long's transfer to MLS side Toronto has reduced Blues' options in defence, with Marc Roberts, Dion Sanderson and Emanuel Aiwu all fighting for a place at centre-back alongside Krystian Bielik.
Andre Dozzell and Paik Seung-ho have formed a decent partnership in the midfield during recent matches, meaning Ivan Sunjic could be restricted to a spot on the bench for a third-straight game.
Ipswich Town possible starting lineup:
Hladky; Clarke, Woolfenden, Burgess, Davis; Luongo, Morsy, Burns, Chaplin, Broadhead; Moore
Birmingham City possible starting lineup:
Ruddy; Drameh, Roberts, Bielik, Laird; Dozzell, Paik, Miyoshi, Roberts, James; Stansfield
We say: Ipswich Town 3-1 Birmingham City
Ipswich score plenty of goals at Portman Road, and we are not expecting that trend to be bucked as Birmingham visit East Anglia this weekend.
Blues have the quality to pose the Tractor Boys problems on Saturday, but we feel that an open contest will likely lead to a victory for the hosts.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
