By Darren Plant, Senior Reporter | February 18, 2024.
Ipswich Town will try to take advantage of their home game againstccon Rotherham UnitedTuesday evening
The Tractor Boys are fourth in the Championship while the visitors to Portman Road are in last place.
With Ipswich struggling for wins both before and after the turn of the year, as well as losing to non-league Maidstone United in the FA Cup, Kieran McKenna may have begun to question his squad.
However, Ipswich deserve credit for bouncing back from just one win in nine Championship games, with their last-gasp equaliser against West Bromwich Albion appearing to be the catalyst.
In back-to-back away games against Millwall and Swansea City, the Tractor Boys scored six goals to win 4-0 and 2-1, respectively.
The victory over the latter was made more difficult than it needed to be, but it was another display of character as Ipswich made it nine away victories in 17 second-tier games.
Ipswich’s goal remains to close the 12-point deficit to leaders Leicester City, but the first priority for Tuesday night is to draw level with second-placed Leeds United.
Rotherham already appears to be fighting a losing battle, having won none of their last eight Championship games.
Despite improvements in recent defeats to Hull City and Watford, the Millers have now lost four games in a row and may need to win at least nine of their remaining 14 games to have a chance of survival.
That seems odd for a squad that hasn’t won since beating Middlesbrough on Boxing Day, but Leam Richardson’s side may embrace the opportunity to play with all of the pressure on their hosts on Tuesday.
Rotherham were also managed to secure a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture in November, giving them confidence in their ability to win against opponents who have not changed much since that clash at the New York Stadium.
Although Ipswich has won consecutive games, an unchanged starting lineup is not guaranteed due to two away journeys in a matter of days.
Wes Burns and Jeremy Sarmiento are both in line for recalls in the final third, while Lewis Travis is an option in the center of the field.
Brandon Williams, Jack Taylor, and George Hirst are all scheduled to sit out owing to injuries.
Richardson is set to make changes to his Rotherham squad, with Jordan Hugill and Tom Eaves vying for starting positions in attack.
At least one of Sam Clucas and Cafu might improve the midfield, but Cohen Bramall and Daniel Ayala remain on the sidelines.
Ipswich Town’s likely starting lineup: Hladky; Clarke, Woolfenden, Burgess, Davis; Morsy, Luongo; Burns, Chaplin, Sarmiento; Moore.
Rotherham United’s likely starting lineup: Johansson; Odoffin, Morrison, Humphreys; Kioso, Cafu, Tiehi, Revan; Rathbone; Hugill, Eaves.
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