Town will be without keeper Dean Gerken, striker Daryl Murphy and centre-half Tommy Smith when they face Preston in the FA Cup at Portman Road on Saturday. Manager Mick McCarthy has confirmed that Scott Loach will start in goal, along with Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, skipper Carlos Edwards and Anthony Wordsworth.
McCarthy says Gerken has been suffering with a minor strain for a few matches: "Dean Gerken has been feeling his groin for a couple of games now, he managed to get through the other night, but he won’t start. I would have started Loachy anyway because he needs to play.
"Tommy Smith has got a sore back, they’ve both been having treatment, and Murph got a thigh strain on Wednesday. Late on, when Dids put him through and he had that good effort with his left foot, he felt it straight away.
"So, there are three enforced changes. Murph would miss anyway but if it was QPR in the league and we’d got a week’s rest, I’d be jollying them along and they’d be playing, I’m sure. Murph, not so, but the other two it’s important that they’re fit for next week.
"Gerks and Tommy will be fine [for next week], they’ve been playing regularly. Murph is going for a scan today and we’ll see the results of that.”
With Smith missing, Luke Chambers looks set to move the centre of the defence with Edwards likely to come in at right-back.
McCarthy confirmed that Stephen Hunt, who is back from his hamstring injury, will also be in the squad, along with youngsters Kyle Hammond and Michael Crowe, who will be the sub keeper.