Caretaker-manager Chris Hutchings expects there to be a “few feathers flying” at Portman Road on Saturday as table-propping Town look to win their first home game since March against Sheffield Wednesday, who are one place above them in the Championship. The 55-year-old says both sides are currently fighting for their lives.
Hutchings watched the Owls’ 1-0 defeat at Blackburn on Wednesday along with coach Mark Kennedy and is anticipating a tough game: "I thought they were a good side.
"I thought Blackburn started very well and they probably dominated the opening 45 minutes and scored an early goal which settled them down, although Sheffield Wednesday had two very good chances in the first two or three minutes from set pieces. They’re a big side, they’re going to be a threat from those.
"In the second half Dave Jones must have given them a little bit of a rollocking because they came right out and had a go at them.
"Blackburn dropped deeper and deeper but soaked up the pressure and got the win at the end of the day.
"They’re fighting for their lives at the bottom of the league, but we are as well, so there could be a few feathers flying.”
A passionate Hutchings, who seems likely to be in charge for just the one game with Town hoping to name the new permanent manager next week, says he’ll be on the edge of his technical area encouraging the team on, former boss Paul Jewell having been criticised for his less visibly vocal approach on the touchline
"I’ll be there and I’ll be telling them," he said. "I’ll be charging them on, don’t worry about that, and my staff will be there as well. And I expect my players to do it, we’ve been working on things [in training].
"It’s not rocket science,” he continued, "we just have to work hard and maybe have a little bit of luck sometimes, cut out our individual mistakes and we’ll be all right. We’ve got some very good players.”
With regarding to his team selection, he says he has similar ideas to former boss Jewell but that some of the personnel may change. He hints that Senegalese international midfielder Guirane N’Daw, who was left out of the ex-manager’s last few sides might return to the 18: "He was another one [like Daryl Murphy who missed the Derby match] that was left out, Paul’s decision.
"We’ll have to wait and see who’s in the squad. I’ll keep you all guessing. I wouldn’t think there will be too many changes.”
Despite making an error for Derby’s first goal on Tuesday, loan keeper Stephen Henderson is likely to keep his place behind what will probably be an unchanged back four with skipper Carlos Edwards on the right, Aaron Cresswell on the left and Luke Chambers and Danny Higginbotham - whose loan has been extended to three months - in the centre.
Central midfield may be an area where Hutchings decides to make changes with Nigel Reo-Coker and Richie Wellens looking well short of match fitness in the second half against the Rams.
That could see N’Daw, Andy Drury, Massimo Luongo or perhaps Luke Hyam return to the side with one or both of the starters against Derby dropping out.
In the wide positions, Hutchings will be weighing up which of Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Daryl Murphy, Josh Carson and Lee Martin to utilise.
Up front, he has a choice between using the now familiar 4-2-3-1 system or 4-4-2 with DJ Campbell, Michael Chopra and Jason Scotland options along with Murphy. If he sticks with a lone striker with one behind, Martin or Emmanuel-Thomas will take up that position.
The squad is fully fit aside from Paul Taylor (foot) and Elliott Hewitt, who is on his way back after tonsillitis and his hip operations. Massimo Luongo again looks to be the domestic loanee missing out - Town are only able to play five of the six - having tweeted that he is back in London this evening.
Wednesday face foot-of-the-table Town on Saturday and then third-bottom Peterborough next week, but manager Dave Jones insists those matches are no more significant than any others: "Every game we play is important, not just the next two.”
Jones is waiting on the fitness of loan striker Jay Bothroyd and former Spurs centre-half Anthony Gardner, who both missed the Blackburn game: "Jay was ill on Friday night but he has also had a swollen ankle. We tried to get him up and running on Tuesday but it was still too swollen.
"We think we might have him for Saturday, and Gardner as well - he’s had a swollen knee. It was unfortunate for them. But they’ve got to try it again on Friday and we’ll see how they are.”
Midfielder Rhys McCabe is a doubt with a thigh problem, while recent addition Adam Davies will be amongst the subs with ex-Blues loan keeper Stephen Bywater currently suffering with pneumonia and third-choice Arron Jameson missing due to a groin injury. Long-term absentees are defender Reda Johnson (foot) and midfielder Chris Lines (groin).
Wednesday have just had the better of the Blues historically, winning 16 times (15 in the league), losing on 15 (14) occasions with eight (seven) matches ending in draws.
The Owls sit in 23rd place, two points and one place above Town. While the Blues are without a win in 11, Wednesday haven’t been victorious in 10.
The teams last met in February 2010 during the Owls’ relegation season. A Carlos Edwards thunderbolt took the Blues to a 1-0 victory at Sheffield Wednesday and out of the bottom three.
The Trinidadian struck just before the quarter hour with Town unlucky to have a late Jon Walters header ruled out for a push. Earlier that season, the sides played out a 0-0 draw at Portman Road.
Daryl Murphy was on loan at Hillsborough for a month in 2005, making four appearances but failing to find the net.
Wednesday Winger Jermaine Johnson spent time on trial with the Blues back in January 2001 but failed to win a contract. Keeper Stephen Bywater was at Portman Road on loan in 2007/08.
Young Canadian-born striker Caolan Lavery, a Northern Ireland U21 international, joined the Owls over the summer having turned down a professional contract with the Blues last season after coming through the academy.
In what’s likely to be a popular move, Town are offering free beer at the game. Full details here.
The club are also supporting the Children in Need appeal with fans under the age of 16 able to watch the game for £5, with adult tickets available for £20 and senior citizens, students and under-20s able to purchase seats for £15. Full details here.
Saturday’s referee is Roger East from Wiltshire, who has shown 40 yellow cards and two red in 15 games so far this season. East’s most recent Town match was the Blues’ last victory, the 1-0 win at Watford in August, in which he booked Hornets’ winger Mark Yeates and no one else.
Squad from: Henderson, Loach, Lee-Barrett, Edwards, Cresswell, Ainsley, Higginbotham, Chambers, Smith, Mohsni, Reo-Coker, Wellens, Drury, N’Daw, Hyam, Murphy, Emmanuel-Thomas, Martin, Carson, Campbell, Chopra, Scotland.