Boss Mick McCarthy has no injuries ahead of Saturday’s home game against Bristol City at Portman Road, however, he says he expects to have to utilise his full squad with the festive fixtures coming thick and fast.
The game against the appropriately named Robins begins a spell of four games in 11 days with the Blues at Charlton on Boxing Day, his former club Wolves next Saturday, before Brighton and Hove Albion are in Suffolk on New Year’s Day.
McCarthy says that going into that period Luke Hyam is over his calf injury and recent illness, while Nigel Reo-Coker was back on the bench last week at Leeds having recovered from his hamstring problem. Striker Paul Taylor is the only member of the squad sidelined having undergone foot surgery which is expected to keep him out for the season.
McCarthy said: "They’re all OK. Luke Hyam’s fit, Nigel Reo-Coker’s fit, I’ve got a squad of 23, they’re all OK.”
He says whoever starts against Bristol City is unlikely to play in all the holiday matches: "Certainly I can’t imagine that 10 outfield players are going to compete in four games on the 22nd, 26th, 19th and the 1st. So, I’ll be needing everybody.
"I can’t forward plan for who is going to be completely knackered and who’s going to cart them around, they might all be after two games.
"It’ll be about getting them to make sure they recover properly and if there’s somebody struggling with injury, I know who I can play in that position already. You’re always forward planning, it’s always in your head to look for a contingency.
"We’ve got 23 players in the squad for Saturday, 20 outfield players and that includes Tyrone Mings. We’ve got a lot of youngsters in there, but they might get an opportunity, let’s see what happens.”
The Blues boss is likely to start the quartet of matches with the same team — or largely the same team — as faced Leeds last week.
Ex-Robin Stephen Henderson will continue in goal with Aaron Cresswell and Bradley Orr the full-backs and Tommy Smith and Luke Chambers at the centre of the defence.
Skipper Carlos Edwards is likely to be on the right and Lee Martin on the left with Guirane N’Daw in the centre. Andy Drury will probably keep his place but McCarthy could choose to recall either Hyam or Reo-Coker after their injuries.
Up front, DJ Campbell will partner Daryl Murphy, the duo having all three goals in the 3-0 victory over Millwall last time Town were at home.
Ex-Town striker Jon Stead, back as a sub in last week’s 2-0 defeat to Derby after missing a month with a calf problem, is set to start for Saturday’s visitors in place of Ryan Taylor, who has a hamstring injury.
Republic of Ireland international left-back Greg Cunningham, who also came on as a sub against Derby, will return to the XI having been sidelined with an ankle ligament problem.
Midfielder Cole Skuse is over a broken cheekbone and central defenders Louis Carey and Lewin Nyatanga are also on the way back having been sidelined with calf and hernia problems respectively, but the visit to Portman Road is expected to come too early for them.
On-loan Liverpool defender Danny Wilson is also not expected to travel having suffered a hamstring injury.
Manager Derek McInnes says he’s concentrating on the match rather than the two clubs’ positions in the table, with his side currently sitting one place and five points behind the Blues in 21st: "It's an important fixture, but there are only three points at stake like every other game.
"I'm not getting dragged into that. For me, it's just about Bristol City. I think it's too early in the season to be worried about the opposition and be looking at teams around us.
"My club is the only concern of mine and we need to concentrate on ourselves. If we can get a level of performance we know we are capable of, it will give us a chance to win the game.”
Former Blue Stead - who was signed by Town boss McCarthy when he was at Sunderland - joined the Robins in August 2010 for £225,000, while defender Matthew Bates played two games on loan at Portman Road from Middlesbrough — including a 3-1 derby victory over Norwich - in 2006 before suffering one of several cruciate knee ligament injuries.
Striker Steven Davies was one of former Blues boss Paul Jewell’s top targets last summer, while former West Ham frontman Sam Baldock was also understood to have been on the Liverpudlian’s wish-list at one point.
Central defender Stephen McManus turned down a loan move to Town when a Celtic player during Roy Keane’s time in charge and was targeted again last season and keeper Tom Heaton was also linked with the Blues during the close season before joining the Robins.
Town’s loanee right-back Bradley Orr made 229 starts and 26 substitute appearances for Bristol City, scoring 13 goals, between July 2004 and August 2010.
Keeper Stephen Henderson made three starts and two sub appearances for the Robins between May 2007 and July 2011, while recent signing Kelly Youga made five starts during a loan spell at Ashton Gate while a Charlton player in 2005.
Assistant manager Terry Connor played for the Robins between 1991 and 1993, while Town U18s coach Russell Osman has been a player, manager, coach and academy coach with the West Country club and still has his main home in the area.
Historically, Town have the edge, winning 28 (26 in the league), losing 17 (17) and drawing 11 (11). The Blues are unbeaten in eight against the Robins and will be looking for their fifth successive victory over them. Bristol City are yet to keep a clean sheet this season, having conceded 45 goals, two more than Town.
In March at Portman Road, goals from Michael Chopra, Tommy Smith and Andy Drury saw the Blues to a very comfortable 3-0 victory over Saturday's opponents.
Chopra nodded in his 13th of the season from a Lee Martin cross in the 25th minute, Smith powered home a Drury corner on 66 and the midfielder lashed home the third with five minutes remaining.
On the opening day of last season, debutant Michael Chopra’s Town career got off to dream start as he netted twice as the Blues also beat Bristol City 3-0 at Ashton Gate.
The former Cardiff man — who has scored seven in 10 against City for his various clubs — netted one in each half with Lee Martin sandwiching his first of the season after the break.
Saturday’s referee is Mark Haywood from West Yorkshire, who has shown 44 yellow cards and no red in 18 games so far this season. Haywood’s most recent Town match was the 0-0 draw at Derby in April in which he booked only one of the home side.
Coincidentally, Haywood was in charge of the Blues 3-0 victory over the Robins at Ashton Gate last season when he kept his cards in his pocket throughout.
Squad from: Henderson, Loach, Lee-Barrett, Orr, Hewitt, Cresswell, Mings, Chambers, Smith, Higginbotham, Mohsni, N’Daw, Drury, Hyam, Reo-Coker, Edwards, Carson, Emmanuel-Thomas, Martin, Murphy, Campbell, Chopra, Murray, Scotland.