Our bite-sized guide to Ipswich Town’s home clash with Leeds United in the Championship.
When and where?
Tuesday, 7.45pm, Portman Road
What’s the team news?
Mick McCarthy will be back to his tried and tested team following the changes for Saturday’s FA Cup draw with Portsmouth, with Daryl Murphy and Jonathan Douglas back following injuries. The likes of Dean Gerken, Christophe Berra, Tommy Smith and Freddie Sears are all set to return.
For the visitors, Chris Wood is rated at 50/50 while Stuart Dallas, Giuseppe Bellusci and Lewis Cook should all return.
Who is their manager?
This time around it’s Steve Evans, who replaced Uwe Rosler a month after Town’s win at Elland Road in mid-September as he became the latest manager to have a go on Massimo Cellino’s hotseat.
How have they been getting on so far this season?
Given how tough things have been behind the scenes, Evans has done pretty well since he arrived and has the Lillywhites just about in play-off contention. He’s won six of his 15 games in charge and drawn another five, while he also saw off former club Rotherham in the FA Cup at the weekend. Leeds are 13th, eight behind Town who occupy the final play-off place.
Who has the best record in this fixture?
There have been 76 meetings between these sides and it’s the northerners who have a slight edge, having won 30 compared to the Blues’ 26. That leaves 20 draws.
What happened when they met earlier in the season?
Ipswich produced a classic away performance as they came away with a 1-0 win from Elland Road in September, with central defender Tommy Smith finishing well to claim all three points. Mick McCarthy’s side were forced to hang on in the closing stages but did so manfully to ensure they bounced back from their humbling at Reading the previous Friday.
Who is the ref?
Fred Graham takes charge of his second Ipswich game of the season, having been the man in the middle for the Capital One Cup clash with Stevenage in August. He showed five yellow cards that evening and has shown 77 more since, in the 18 games he’s refereed.
Who is the Leeds danger man?
Former Ipswich striker Chris Wood is Leeds’ top scorer with eight goals in 23 appearances but he’s 50/50 with hamstring trouble, leaving winger Stuart Dallas as the visitors’ dangerman.
What are the bookies saying?
The Blues are favourites for this at 10/11 while the visitors are 7/2 and the draw 13/5. Tommy Smith got the winner for the Blues when these two sides met in September, so if you fancy another 1-0 win with the New Zealander on the scoresheet, you’re looking at odds of 40/1
Anything else worth knowing?
Tomorrow night’s visitors have had seven different managers during Mick McCarthy’s reign at Portman Road, which began in November 2012. They are Neil Warnock, Neil Redfearn (two caretaker spells and one permanent), Brian McDermott, Dave Hockaday, Darko Milanic, Uwe Rosler and Evans.
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