Town boss Mick McCarthy always planned to make changes to his team for Saturday’s FA Cup third round tie against Preston at Portman Road after a tough Christmas-New Year spell from which the Blues remained unbeaten, claiming five points and climbing into sixth in the Championship.
Keeper Dean Gerken misses out with a groin strain, defender Tommy Smith is sidelined with a sore back and striker Daryl Murphy has a thigh strain, but the Blues manager says it was always in his thoughts to shuffle his pack in any case.
"I would have done,” he admitted. "I’ve been asked [over the festive fixtures] whether I’d make changes but I just thought that the Doncaster game turned out to be not too taxing because we were 3-0 up just after half-time and they were chasing it and we were able to sit back and pick them off on the break a little bit.
"The Bournemouth game was an extremely difficult one physically, very challenging and Charlton was another tough game, considering the conditions as well.
"I know there’s a week before QPR [are at Portman Road], but people are starting to get little niggles and little strains and all you have to do is play them in the game tomorrow and they end up with a pull or something that will mean they miss QPR, and I don’t want to do that.”
Paul Lambert, manager of Aston Villa, who knocked the Blues out at this stage last year, has said Premier League bosses would prefer not to play in the FA Cup, and McCarthy, while a fan of the competition, can understand why the Scot might say that.
"I think Premier League managers see it as an irritant as I’m told that the team that goes down this year gets more money than who won the FA Cup last year, that tells you the dough that’s in it,” he said.
"The Premier League is the holy grail but I would like to have a cup run. Even more so with some of those lads who haven’t been playing, they can come in and give me a problem and they could get another game so they can give me a problem again.
"I think a cup run can go hand in hand with a bit of a spell in the league. I don’t want to get beaten. I don’t want to put out a team which gets beaten and then we play QPR. I’d like to keep our unbeaten run going.”
McCarthy knows his Preston opposite number well: "Simon Grayson, or Larry as he is affectionately known, is a mate of mine and he always has good footballing teams.
"He wanted to take Woody [in November], they’ve been playing with a 3-5-2, so it would have suited him, but they took Neil Kilkenny from Bristol City.
"He’s always competitive, he’s got teams promoted in the past and of course Kevin Davies is coming down here. He sent me a text when we were drawn saying ‘I’m coming to get you!’. Whether he thinks I’m still playing, I don’t know! I’m looking forward to seeing him tomorrow.”
The Town boss has confirmed that Scott Loach will start in goal, while skipper Carlos Edwards seems likely to come into the side on the right of the defence with Luke Chambers moving into the centre for the absent Smith, alongside Christophe Berra.
On the left, McCarthy could choose to bring in Tyrone Mings in place of Aaron Cresswell, while another option is to include both and play the former Chippenham man as a third centre-half if he chooses to match the visitors’ system.
The Town boss has confirmed that Anthony Wordsworth will play in a central midfield three, probably coming in for Cole Skuse, who started every game over the Christmas-New Year period, with Luke Hyam, Ryan Tunnicliffe and Jay Tabb the options for the two roles ahead of him with the on-loan Manchester United man eligible, although having started every game over the holidays.
Up front, McCarthy has confirmed that Sylvan Ebanks-Blake will make his Town debut with Frank Nouble, Paul Taylor and David McGoldrick vying for the other roles.
McGoldrick will probably again be rested with Nouble likely to be the man chosen if Town play a front two and Taylor continuing if McCarthy goes with a three-man strike force.
Youngsters Kyle Hammond and Michael Crowe will be on the bench, along with Stephen Hunt, who is over his hamstring injury.
Lilywhites boss Grayson is expecting a tough afternoon: "They are a good team. Mick has developed a squad and they have got into the top six in the division. They are a strong, powerful unit and have threats right the way through the team, so it will be a good test.
"I’m not quite sure what team Ipswich will put out. I’m sure they will make changes, like we probably will as well, because it’s been a tough period, especially for the players who have played every game, but it’s a freebie.
"We want to go down there and test ourselves against a good Championship club and see where we are. Nobody probably expects us to go and win down there, but if we do, we are in the next round and if we don’t, we move back onto the league form.”
Grayson has a fully fit squad with defender Paul Huntington back from suspension, while young Irish midfielder Alan Browne will be included, his international clearance having come through after joining from Cork City.
The Blues have a poor record against Preston historically, winning nine games (eight in the league), drawing seven (seven) and losing 12 (11). North End have won three of their last six matches at Portman Road.
The teams last met on Suffolk soil in the Championship in April 2011 when first half goals from Jason Scotland and David Norris saw the Blues to a 2-1 victory over already-relegated Preston in the final home game of the 2010/11 season.
Town were good for their 2-0 lead at the break but their performance again drifted in a second half in which Paul Coutts pulled one back for the visitors.
The clubs have met in the FA Cup on two previous occasions, in February 1954 when the Lilywhites won 6-1 at Deepdale and eventually made the final, then in January 1980 when Town ran out 3-0 victors, also on Preston territory with Paul Mariner netting twice and Alan Brazil once.
Preston beat Wycombe Wanderers 1-0 away in round two, having defeated Barnet 6-0 in the first round. They are currently fourth in League One, won all three of their Christmas-New Year fixtures and have been beaten just once in their last 15 games in all competitions.
The game is Town's first home FA Cup tie since the 3-0 victory over Chesterfield in January 2009.
Tickets cost £15 for adults, £10 for concessions and £3 under-16s in all areas of the ground with no price increase on the day of the game. Cash entry at the turnstiles from 1.30pm.
Saturday’s referee is Michael Naylor from South Yorkshire, who has shown 38 yellow cards and one red in 19 games so far this season. His last Town match was the 1-0 defeat at QPR in August when Jay Tabb was the only player to get his name in the book.
Squad from: Loach, Crowe, Edwards, Hammond, Cresswell, Mings, Chambers, Berra, Wordsworth, Hyam, Tunnicliffe, Tabb, Skuse, Anderson, Hunt, Ebanks-Blake, McGoldrick, Nouble, Taylor.