Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna says he will field a 'really competitive' side in tomorrow's FA Cup third round tie at AFC Wimbledon and would be 'more than happy to progress'.

The Blues remain second in the Championship table after a winless five-game run either side of Christmas.

With some big league games against Sunderland (home, Sat, Jan 13) and Leicester (away, Mon, Jan 22) on the horizon, McKenna said of tomorrow lunchtime's clash: "A change is as good as a rest. It’s a chance to focus on something completely different. It’s a different competition, different type of game, different brand of football – literally with the Mitres. It just freshens up the routine a little bit.

“It’s a competition and game to look forward to. Of course there will be changes in the side from Stoke, but there were changes in the team over the Christmas period anyway. The majority of the squad have now had a game over the last 10 days. Hopefully that helps us. We’ll do everything we can to prepare for what we expect to be a really difficult cup tie."

George Hirst (hamstring), Leif Davis (calf), Janoi Donacien (groin) and Lee Evans (knee) are among those sidelined for the Blues at present.

Sam Morsy could well start at Plough Lane though, given he's suspended for the next two league games, while new signing Jeremy Sarmiento is set to be handed his debut. 

“We’ll have a look at it in terms of what’s right for the individuals and, most importantly, what’s right for the group, the team and the season," said McKenna, when asked what sort of team he'll select.

“If there are young players that we feel are really deserving of an opportunity then we’ll look to give them. 

“We rotated quite a lot over the Christmas period. I think there was maybe seven outfield changes from QPR to Stoke. Luke Woolfenden and Conor Chaplin are the only players who played the last three games in a row. We’ll rest those who we feel need it the most, but feel we’ll still be able to field a really competitive side."

Asked how he felt about the FA Cup as a competition, the Blues boss said: “A lot can depend on the context of your season really. Of course there is only a limited number of teams in the hat who have a realistic chance of winning the competition and we’re probably further towards the team that are unlikely to win it. 

“It can add different things to your season depending on where you’re at. Last season it was a big addition for us, for example. The Rotherham and Burnley games gave the group great confidence in how we were going about things. We knew after those games (against higher level opponents) we were on the right track and that if we kept working as we were then, a) we’d have a great chance to be successful at the end of the season in League One, and b) we were on the right track for doing well in the Championship should we get there. So it can give a boost to your season. 

“For sure this season, there’s no doubt, our priorities are very, very much on the league games. The season that we’re having has only exemplified that. That will be our biggest focus for the second half of the season. 

“At the same time, even with some of the recent injuries, we still have a healthy squad and we want to add to that squad over the next couple of weeks.  

“The fixtures schedule in the second half of the season in the Championship isn’t quite so rigorous, so we’d be more than happy to progress in the competition and have that extra fixture. We’re going to try and win the game, we’re going to try and go through. That’s the target and motivation. Within balancing up what we think is right for the season, we’ll pick and prepare a team that we think gives us a chance to do that."

AFC Wimbledon are currently seventh in the League Two table. They've scored four or more goals in a game on seven occasions this season, but will be without key forwards Ali Al-Hamadi and Omar Bugiel for this game after they went away to the Asian Cup with Iraq and Lebanon respectively.

“They’re doing well," said McKenna. "I know Johnnie (Jackson, manager) really well – I played with him at Tottenham. We came up against him when he was at Charlton and we played against Wimbledon, of course, in pre-season last summer. He’s a good coach, a good manager and they’re having a good season. 

“They have forward players in fantastic form who they’ve lost to the Asian Cup, that’s something they’ve got to overcome, but they’ve been in good form, scoring lost of goals and have put themselves in the play-off positions.  

“We know it’s going to be a tough game. It’s a tight ground, it’s not an easy place to go, it’s the FA Cup, it’s an early kick-off on a Saturday – it's going to be a challenge, no two ways about that, whatever team we put on the pitch. We need to go there and stand up to what they bring."