A bite-sized look ahead to Ipswich Town’s trip to Ashton Gate to take on Bristol City.
When and where?
Saturday, 3pm, Ashton Gate
What’s the team news?
Where to start. Midfield problems galore for Mick McCarthy, with Jonathan Douglas suspended, Cole Skuse and Giles Coke out for a month, Ryan Fraser missing for six weeks, Luke Hyam doubtful and Teddy Bishop still sidelined.
That could mean a debut for Ben Pringle, while Kevin Bru will also be involved alongside Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
For the visitors, Ben Gladwin could return after picking up a knock which had seen him return to parent club QPR.
Who is their manager?
Lee Johnson made more than 150 appearances for City as a player and, following spells with Oldham and then Barnsley, will take charge of his first game this weekend.
How have they been getting on so far this season?
It’s been a tough return to the second tier for City but, with Johnson now in charge, there is hope they can pull away from the bottom three. They currently sit just one place above the relegation zone but go into tomorrow’s game on the back of a good win at Charlton.
What does the two sides’ form look like over the last five games?
Bristol City: W-L-L-D-W
Ipswich: D-L-L-W-L
Who has the best record in this fixture?
Ipswich are well on top having won 28 of the two sides’ 59 meetings, with City taking 18 wins while there have been 13 draws.
What happened when they met earlier in the season?
The Blues went into the game in September in confident mood, against a side struggling at the wrong end of the table, with the confidence growing when Luke Chambers gave the hosts a 46th minute lead.
However, Luke Freeman and Jonathan Kodjia turned the game on its head with two quick goals, before Ryan Fraser rescued the Blues with an equaliser.
Who is the ref?
Tony Harrington has the whistle. He last took charge of an Ipswich game last April, when the Blues lost 2-1 at Huddersfield, as their play-off chances took a major hit.
His only other Ipswich game was the 3-0 win at Doncaster on Boxing Day, 2013.
Who are the Bristol City danger men?
Luke Freeman is a constant threat and can pop up anywhere in the opposition half at any time, while he also possesses a good set-piece. Big defender Aden Flint is always a threat in the air, while striker Jonathan Kodjia proved a threat in Suffolk earlier in the season.
What are the bookies saying?
The hosts are favourites for this one at 6/4 but the bookies clearly think it’s a tough one to call with the Blues at 21/10. The draw’s 23/10 and if you fancy Brett Pitman to show Mick McCarthy just who he thinks he deserves to start, then you can get odds of 6/1 for him to open the scoring.
Anything else worth knowing?
Tomorrow’s game is sold out, with the Blues taking more than 2,000 fans to the West Country and the home crowd keen to see their new manager’s first game in charge.
Ashton Gate is in the midst of a major revamp, meaning capacity has been reduced.
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