Ipswich Town head to Turf Moor for an FA Cup replay with Burnley tonight. Andy Warren takes a look ahead to the game.
We go again
Town and Burnley meet for a second time this evening, having played out a 0-0 draw at Portman Road a little over a week ago.
It was a hugely encouraging afternoon for Town, who went toe-to-toe with the best side in the EFL, who will almost certainly be playing Premier League football next season.
Ipswich made changes but started fast, penning Vincent Kompany’s men back and putting them under pressure they didn’t appear overly comfortable dealing with.
Possession was split and both sides put similar pressure on the other’s goal, though Town keeper Vaclav Hladky was perhaps the busier of the two goalkeepers as he produced a couple of good saves to keep the visitors out.
A draw was probably fair in the end, though both managers would surely tell you privately that tonight’s replay was not on their wish list.
There is a reason to want to progress, though. No, the two teams’ shared ball No.4 didn’t get drawn against one of the Premier League’s big guns, but the winners of tonight’s replay will have a very real chance of reaching an FA Cup quarter final.
That’s because either Burnley or Ipswich Town will host either Fleetwood Town or Sheffield Wednesday in round five.
Real focus
The Ipswich squad flew up to Manchester yesterday and will no doubt have designs on winning this game and reaching the next round.
But there is no doubting the fact Saturday’s huge game with Sheffield Wednesday looms large.
And that will impact Kieran McKenna’s selection tonight.
Eight changes were made for the first staging and many of the players who came into the team for that game will likely feature tonight, starting with goalkeeper Hladky.
Janoi Donacien and Greg Leigh will be hopeful of minutes at full-back while Luke Woolfenden figures to come back into the side having missed out at Cambridge. Then it’s a question of whether Cameron Burgess returns for a first outing since the loss at Oxford, or whether either George Edmundson or Richard Keogh are given the chance to continue.
Sam Morsy and Lee Evans started the initial staging, perhaps surprisingly, but the latter left the Cambridge game at half-time having picked up an injury, with both Massimo Luongo and Cameron Humphreys waiting in the wings to replace one or both of the regular starters.
Kayden Jackson was the star man at Portman Road and will surely face the Clarets again, while Kyle Edwards put his hand up for selection with a good appearance from the bench at Cambridge.
Marcus Harness and Sone Aluko will be hoping for starts, as will George Hirst in attack.
We’ll find out who makes it at 6.45pm.
Busy boys
Since drawing at Portman Road, Burnley have been busy.
On the pitch they dismantled Norwich City 3-0 at Carrow Road but have made moves in the transfer market before the deadline, too.
New £8million signing Lyle Foster made his first appearance at Portman Road and he’s now been joined by Michael Obafemi, who joins on loan from Swansea.
He could make his debut tonight.
Kind words
Speaking after the initial staging of this tie, Burnley boss Vincent Kompany had some kind words for McKenna's Ipswich Town side.
Asked what he made of Ipswich, the Manchester City legend replied: “They were everything I knew.
“They were well set-up with some good patterns and principles on the ball and a good intensity to go and press.
“With the support of the home crowd and this being a cup tie, we expected a tough game. That’s why I’m happy, though I’m usually never happy if we don’t win, and looking forward to taking this game back to Turf Moor.
“Ipswich have a decent squad and there are teams in the Championship you can face who don’t have the depth they have.
“It’s a good team and a good club. It was a difficult game but it’s a good result. I’m not complaining.
“I can imagine a trip from Ipswich all the way to Burnley, in midweek, is less appealing but for us it’s a home game.”
View from the camp
Town defender Richard Keogh, who started at Cambridge on Saturday, had this to say about tonight’s cup clash: “The FA Cup is a special competition.
“It’s another tough game, for sure, but we will rest up and we have shown we can perform well against them.
“We’ve got a good squad and I am sure there will be rotation. It’s great to have a game so early and we have two weeks of Saturday-Tuesdays now so we will need everyone in the squad.
“Going away from home it’s going to be a different challenge but again one to look forward to as a group. Any game is about momentum, so whether it is the FA Cup or the league, it’s another game for the group to attack.
“If we can get a positive result there, who knows - you might be in a quarter final. We will just approach the game in the right way and look forward to that challenge.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here