Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna says he wants his team to impose themselves on Sheffield Wednesday tomorrow.

The table-topping Blues, unbeaten in eight games at the start of this League One season, take on the pre-season title favourites at Hillsborough in a mouth-watering League One clash.

“I think we need to go there in a really positive frame of mind and enjoy the challenge that’s ahead of us," said McKenna.

“We know it’s a big challenge against a very strong side in a ground with a big home support, but we’re really looking forward to it.

“We want to go there and take on that challenge, show what we’re about as a team, show what we’re about as a club. We’ve got a big away following going and we’ll look to go and impose ourselves on the game and on the occasion."

Sheffield Wednesday had a crowd of almost 28,000 for their recent 2-0 home defeat to South Yorkshire rivals Barnsley. Ipswich have sold more than 3,000 tickets for this game.

“A big home crowd can be an advantage, but it can also be a disadvantage," said McKenna. "It can be a difficult crowd to play in front of if the team is not on top. We need to take the atmosphere away from the home team and impose our will and our football on them. We need to make sure we control the game the way we want to control it and in the moments where momentum is against us we need to be strong physically and mentally and stand up to that."

He continued: "Their squad is very, very strong. They were very strong last year. Having accumulated 85 points that would have been enough in most seasons to go up automatically and they very nearly did so.

“They have made very, very high end additions to that this season. They are powerful in quite a few different areas. We have to respect their strengths and defend against that very, very well, but also we back what we’re about and will look to impose ourselves as a team and how we go about things.

“Of course it’s a big game. We want to beat the teams who are going to be up at the top of the division. That’s always an advantage.

“I think it’s much too early in the season for it to be decisive. We’re going to play all these teams again in three, four, five, six months time and those fixtures are going to be more decisive on the table and positions.

“For now it would be great to continue our great form, go there, put in a great performance and, of course, if you can beat one of the teams that you expect to be right up at the top of the table come the end of the season then it would be a very nice three points."

With games against third-place Plymouth (a) and second-place Portsmouth (h) to follow, McKenna quipped: “We have Arsenal (U21s, in the Papa John's Trophy) on Tuesday night!

“We haven’t thought anything past Sheffield at the moment and, come Sunday, I’ll be thinking about Arsenal.

“You have different runs over a season where, externally, people say ‘you’ve got run of teams at the bottom’, or ‘you’ve got a run of teams at the top’, or you’ve got a run at home, a run away.

“We honestly just speak to the boys about the next game and don’t look any further forward than that.

"Mentality wise the squad is really hungry. They’re all really buying into the next game approach and focussing on what’s ahead of us."