Three games in eight days is a lot, and that is why I think that manager Paul Cook might make one or two changes from the team that battered Portsmouth away in midweek.
He will not want to throw the baby out with the washing, so any changes he makes should not seriously affect the fluidity of the side. Toto Nsiala might retain his place at the expense of Cameron Burgess, who has been found wanting of late.
Toto has performed pretty solid when he has been called upon so far, and although I still fear a mistake is just waiting to happen, he has got the shirt, and as he did not play against Cambridge United, he should still be relatively fresh.
The other obvious change is Wes Burns for Kyle Edwards. Burns looked sharp when he came on and scored as well, so his card will have been marked favourably by the manager.
Edwards seems to work far better as an impact player because although he is very skilful when he loses the ball, he tends to give up the ghost. Burns is also technically good but has a bit more physicality to his game, and this might help us to hold a high press.
Christian Walton will be pleased with his first clean sheet after his debut ended with him conceding five goals, as Bolton defeated us 2-5 at Portman Road. I cannot see Cook making wholesale changes, and if there was one other swap he might consider it would be Bersant Celina replacing Conor Chaplin. If this was to occur, then I think it might upset the balance of the team.
I don’t think this will happen – unless a fitness issue comes into play. Chaplin is playing some of his best football at the moment, and it would be unwise to tamper with it tomorrow. Celina is still a bit off the pace and he has been so far a pale shadow of his former self.
On bench-warming duties tomorrow we should expect to see Joe Pigott, and perhaps too, James Norwood and Luis Barry. Rakeem Harper will also get a spot on the bench, along with out of favour keeper Vaclav Hladky, and of course, Bersant Celina and forgotten man Scott Fraser.
Fleetwood Town manager Simon Grayson is going into this visit to Portman Road with renewed optimism. They may lie 20th in the table, with just one win in five, but he thinks they are making good progress. He explained to the Fleetwood news his feeling about the match tomorrow.
“We’ve picked up a couple of knocks from the other night, which is part and parcel of playing Saturday-Tuesday. But whoever we have available, we’ll pick a team that can go to Ipswich, put in a good performance and get a win.”
We all know that there are no easy games in this division, and if we do win a game comfortably in the end, it is only after putting in some hard graft beforehand, as we did against Portsmouth on Tuesday.
