| Ipswich Town 2 v 1 Sunderland SkyBet Championship Saturday, 13th January 2024 Kick-off 17:30 |  |
Blues Host Sunderland Aiming to End Run of Draws Friday, 12th Jan 2024 17:43 Town host Sunderland live-on-Sky on Saturday evening aiming to get back to winning ways in the Championship having drawn their three games over the Christmas-New Year period. Overall, the Blues were without a win in five prior to last week’s 3-1 FA Cup victory at AFC Wimbledon but had lost only one of those matches, the 4-0 loss at Leeds United prior to Christmas. Town’s last two league matches have both ended in 0-0 draws, at home to QPR and at Stoke, those games having followed the 1-1 draw with leaders Leicester at Portman Road. The Blues could go into Saturday’s match having dropped to third with Southampton, currently three points behind with the same goal difference, in action at home to Sheffield Wednesday earlier in the afternoon, the first time Town would have slipped out of the top two since September. The Black Cats are currently sixth in the Championship, four places and 15 points behind the Blues. They are in patchy form, having won two, drawn one and lost two of the five games in all competitions since new manager Michael Beale took charge following Blues legend Tony Mowbray’s controversial sacking. Last week, they were comprehensively beaten 3-0 at home by local rivals Newcastle United in the FA Cup, having beaten Preston North End 2-0 at the Stadium of Light in their most recent Championship fixture on New Year’s Day.  On the road this season, they have won one of their last eight, 1-0 at Hull City on Boxing Day, and drew 1-1 at bottom club Rotherham United three days later in their most recent away fixture. Only three teams have conceded fewer than the Wearsiders’ total of 28 from their 26 Championship games, but 11 have scored more than the 36 they have netted. They have the ninth-best away record in the division - won four, drawn four, lost five - and only leaders Leicester, 11, have conceded fewer than the Black Cats, 12, on their travels. However, 15 sides have scored more than the Black Cats, who have bagged 14 goals from their 13 away games up to now. McKenna says Sunderland haven’t changed too much since last month’s change of boss. “I think there's still a lot of continuity there,” he said. “They’re a team who have got really good individual players, some big individual talents, a young team, really good technical level, good physical level as well and have had 18 good months now in the Championship. I think the common traits are still there. “Of course, Michael’s putting his own slant on it and working with the players as he sees best, but I think they have been a good team at this level now for a season and a half. “They were a really tough opponent in the first game of the season and we expect the same tomorrow.”
McKenna says he knows Beale well, the former QPR and Rangers manager having worked in academy football at Chelsea and Liverpool. “Yes, he’s come through the academy background as well, a really well-regarded coach and player developer, and we've got lots of mutual contacts. “He's a very highly-regarded coach and I'm sure he will do a good job with a talented young group there.” Town will be without skipper Sam Morsy for the next two games and McKenna admits the Egyptian international will be missed but with more options available to him now following the loan signing of Lewis Travis from Blackburn Rovers. “Of course, you're going to miss Sam, as we have done a few times now recently. You're going to miss him because of the level that he's hitting consistently on the pitch and also what he brings with his character,” he said. “But that's why we have a squad, that’s why we have added to the squad in January with another midfielder coming in to cover these situations and to have strength and depth in that position. “We've worked hard this week. Of course, the roles within our team are pretty specific and pretty well-rehearsed, and it takes a bit of time for players to adapt to that, and that's the good thing about having this week. “We've worked really hard with different individuals in different roles and we'll pick the team that we think is going to give us the best chance to do well against Sunderland.”
Having had a few frustrating games recently, McKenna stressed the importance of the fans staying behind the Blues even if goals aren’t as forthcoming as they were earlier in the season. “That's very important, no doubt about it,” he said. “It's been one of our big strengths over the last period: the togetherness and spirit between the playing group between the playing group when everyone internally at the club and between the playing group and our most important stakeholders, which is the fans. “That togetherness has been massive, the atmosphere in the stadium has been massive and for us to have the best chance of being successful that would be a really big part of it tomorrow as well. “So, we hope to create a really good atmosphere. Of course, the performance can also contribute to that and it's our goal to try and play in a way that the supporters can be right behind. “But I think it's also really important that the supporters know that they have such a massive importance for us and such a bearing on the performance and on the atmosphere and on the challenge for the opposition as well. “We've only got one home game in the league this month with the way the calendar has worked out now with the FA Cup, so my wish, my goal, is that we go out and create a great atmosphere and a great game of football tomorrow.”
In addition to not having many home games, 3pm Saturday kick-offs are also a rarity with the Blues’ most recent start at the traditional time at Middlesbrough on December 9th and the next at Preston on February 5th. At Portman Road, Town don’t have a 3pm kick-off until Birmingham City visit on February 24th with the most recent the win against Coventry City on December 2nd. Asked whether his preparation for matches is affected by the variable start times, McKenna said: “No, it's fine, it is what it is. I've obviously been here for a good amount of time now, but before that, at my previous club, Saturday at three o'clock was extremely, extremely rare and you could probably count on one hand how many we had over the course of three or four years. “It’s fine, you adapt the schedule accordingly. The main inconvenience sometimes is for the supporters, especially for away games and that's the frustration. “But for us, evening games are always a special thing, so games like tomorrow night at 5.30pm is brilliant. “Evening games at Portman Road are really, really special. Of course, morning games bring a little bit more of a different challenge, getting the energy levels, the adrenaline levels, and the atmosphere right is a bigger challenge, and we'll have that for the Maidstone game [which kicks-off at 12.30pm] and a few others. “But no, it's something we're well-versed in now and again as you progress through the league and are successful, which we have been in terms of the first half of this season, it means that you're more attractive to the TV companies and you're going to get used to a few more different kick-off times.” Vaclav Hladky is again set to start in goal, while Leif Davs could return at left-back having trained today following his calf injury. If not, Cameron Humphreys may continue in that role with Brandon Williams back at Manchester United being assessed following spells of illness and injury. Harry Clarke also trained today and will probably start at right-back. If his achilles isn’t considered up to the game, then Axel Tuanzebe will again play in that role. Should Clarke make it, McKenna will have to decide whether Tuanzebe or Luke Woolfenden start at the centre of the defence alongside George Edmundson with Cameron Burgess away with Australia at the AFC Asian Cup. In central midfield, new signing Travis will almost certainly make his Town debut alongside Massimo Luongo in Morsy’s absence with the Australian likely to wear the armband. McKenna will probably start Wes Burns, Conor Chaplin and Nathan Broadhead as the three ahead of them with Freddie Ladapo perhaps getting the nod ahead of Kayden Jackson, although with Broadhead another option for the number nine role with Omari Hutchinson or Marcus Harness perhaps coming into the XI.  Town will have almost 100 German fans cheering them on with the Fortuna Blues from Düsseldorf making their annual trip to Portman Road. Sunderland boss Beale has a number of players out injured, including former Manchester City and Celtic man Patrick Roberts, who has a calf injury. “Paddy will be out for probably the remainder of this month,” he said. “We hope to have him back at some point in February. He'll be back before Bradley Dack [hamstring],” he told the Sunderland Echo. “Niall [Huggins, knee] has had surgery this week and we won't see him for the best part of a year, maybe a bit more, which is really disappointing. “We have released the news about Dennis Cirkin [also hamstring] having an operation as well and he'll miss 12 weeks. That is hugely disappointing as well.” Midfielder Jay Matete is in the squad for the first time this season following knee surgery, while fellow schemer Elliot Embleton has returned from a loan spell at Derby County. Beale says he’s a big fan of the Blues: “Similar to ourselves last year, if you have a group of players who have the bounce of promotion and confidence and come into the season and start off with a couple of results, they are impressing themselves and running on with it. “Things have become a little bit more difficult of late for them with injuries and sometimes the Championship can get to you, if you like. “Kieran is a coach who I know really well. From outside looking in, I was willing him to do well. That has to stop now obviously when we play on Saturday, but it's great to see a young coach in his first job doing well. “I’m really happy for him and also for Ipswich, a club similar to us that have spent too much time in League One and so it's nice to see a club like Ipswich back in the Championship and doing well, albeit after the game on Saturday.” Historically, things are very evenly balanced with Town having won 24 of the games between the teams (24 in the league) and the Wearsiders 24 (22) with nine (nine) having ended in draws. On the opening weekend of the season, goals from Broadhead and George Hirst saw the Blues to a 2-1 opening day win against 10-man Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. Broadhead gave Town the lead in first-half injury time, Hirst made it 2-0 with his first goal in the Championship eight minutes into the second half, then Trai Hume was dismissed for the Black Cats for a second bookable offence before the home side pulled one back through Dan Neil and pushed for a leveller in 13 minutes of additional time but the Blues held out for the three points. The teams last met at Portman Road in the final game before McKenna took over as Town boss in December 2021. The current Blues manager had been appointed and was watching from the stands as 29,005 fans watched as Town, led by interim-manager John McGreal, and the Black Cats - who would ultimately win promotion from League One via the play-offs - drew 1-1 at Portman Road. James Norwood headed home Macauley Bonne’s cross in first-half injury time, the Blues having dominated before the break. But Broadhead, then on loan with the Wearsiders from Everton, levelled five minutes after the restart with the Blues looking the more likely winners in the closing stages. Blues forward Broadhead was on loan with the Black Cats during the 2021/22 season, scoring 11 times in 20 starts and seven sub appearances. Saturday’s referee is recently-appointed Premier League official Sam Allison from Wiltshire, who has shown 69 yellow cards and one red in 18 games so far this season. On Boxing Day, Allison became the first black referee to take control of a Premier League match in 15 years when he took charge of the Sheffield United-Luton match which ended 3-2 to the Hatters. Allison’s most recent Town match was the 2-2 draw at Portsmouth in December 2022 in which he yellow-carded only Cameron Burgess and Pompey’s Marlon Pack. His only previous Town match was the 2-1 home victory over Fleetwood at Portman Road in October 2021 in which he booked Morsy, Bersant Celina and three of the visitors. Squad from: Hladky, Walton, Clarke, Davis, Humphreys, Tuanzebe, Woolfenden, Edmundson, Travis, Luongo, Taylor, Ball, Burns, Chaplin, Broadhead, Harness, Aluko, Hutchinson, Sarmiento, Ladapo, Jackson.
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