Boss Mick McCarthy hopes Town won’t miss midfielder Luke Hyam during his time out of the side due to the gashed leg he suffered at Millwall last week. The 22-year-old misses Saturday’s home game against Reading and is likely to be sidelined for around three weeks.
Hyam has been a virtual ever-present this season and McCarthy is looking to his other midfielders to fill in during the Ipswich-born youngster’s absence: "I hope we don’t miss him and play well and win without him because he has been a regular. I think losing him on Saturday had an effect, seeing him stretchered off, that doesn’t help.
"He’s not going to be out for that long, he’ll be back in three weeks, I would have thought. I’m hoping that we manage without him, play well without him and get results. And I’m sure he feels the same.
"Although it’ll put his position under threat coming back, we’ll be in a better position if we can get some wins.”
Aside from Hyam, striker Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, who is out until early next month with a hamstring injury, and players out on loan, the Town boss has a full squad to pick from with Anthony Wordsworth taking part in extra training sessions having been out with tonsillitis.
"Other than Sylvan, there’s nobody else,” he added. "Woody’s training, the two lads are out on loan, Elliott and Freddie, and everybody else is fine. Woody’s in the squad, there’s a question whether he’s ready, but he’s in the squad.”
The Town boss says he has had a look at Reading’s 7-1 victory over Bolton last week and believes their approach has changed since the Blues’ visit to the Madejski Stadium on the opening day, when the Royals won 2-1.
"I’ve watched the game and they played well,” he said. "They’ve got a good squad of players, I think they’ve got a few injuries and they’ve gone to 4-4-2.
"They’re not like they were when we played them earlier on in the season when they were trying to be really expansive, they’ve been a bit more direct with two wingers, two strikers, Pavel Pogrebnyak and Adam Le Fondre are playing up front.
"They’ve been a bit more up and down, 4-4-2, a bit more dynamic with two good wingers and it’s got them results.
"Strange, isn’t it? Maybe because of injuries you find a formation and it works, and I just heard he’ll stick to that and they’ll be playing the team that won 7-1. I think they were aided and abetted by some poor defending, I have to be honest.”
Having lost three games on the trot and with almost everyone fit, McCarthy has decisions to make regarding his selection.
Keeper Dean Gerken is set to keep his place in goal, despite last week’s error, while the back four of Luke Chambers, Christophe Berra, Tommy Smith and Aaron Cresswell will continue with a loan move for Middlesbrough’s Frazer Richardson set to be confirmed early next week.
With Reading lining up 4-4-2, McCarthy seems likely to set his side out in a similar system with Ryan Tunnicliffe probably taking over from Hyam in the centre of midfield alongside Cole Skuse.
The Town boss has options wide but skipper Carlos Edwards is likely to continue on the right, while two Reading players are the alternatives on the left with Stephen Hunt probably getting the nod ahead of Jay Tabb.
Up front, top scorer David McGoldrick and Daryl Murphy look set to continue their partnership.
Reading boss Nigel Adkins has said he intends to stick with the side which has won the last two matches: "I expect to name the same team. I'm coming out and saying that now. We've got that momentum with us and we've got to keep that going.
"At the moment the lads who have the shirts are playing well and we want to keep that continuity as best as possible."
He added: "We know Ipswich are going to be tough. That was highlighted at the start of the season It was a difficult game which we went and won which was really pleasing.
"Mick is a good experienced manager and they have some good players at Ipswich. They have a group that is going to be a big test for us but it's one we're looking forward to because we go there on the back of two good victories."
Winger Hal Robson-Kanu will travel with the squad having recovered from a calf injury but midfielder Danny Guthrie misses out due to a similar problem.
Former England left-back Wayne Bridge and skipper Sean Morrison (both knee) are longer term absentees.
Town have just about had the better of the Royals historically, winning 22 times (21 in the league), drawing nine (nine) and losing 19 (19).
On the opening day of the season at the Madejski Stadium Reading came from behind to condemn the Blues to a 2-1 defeat.
Town midfielder Jay Tabb’s first ever goal at his old home ground saw the Blues take the lead in the 16th minute but the Royals drew level just before the break via what appeared to be a Tyrone Mings own goal, which was ultimately credited to Adam Le Fondre, then Danny Guthrie’s deflected 30-yard strike won it with 15 minutes to go.
The Berkshire club have won their most recent five games against Town, their last at Portman Road in their Championship-winning 2011/12 campaign.
In November 2011 at Portman Road, Town snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in the closing moments as Reading left Suffolk with a 3-2 win.
Daryl Murphy opened the scoring 11 minutes after the break, Kaspars Gorkss equalised for the Royals before Josh Carson’s deflected shot put the Blues back in front.
Town looked to have won it but Alex Pearce and Noel Hunt - brother of current Blue Stephen - netted at the death to see Paul Jewell's side to a third successive 3-2 defeat for the first time in their history.
Tabb joined the Blues last summer having been released by the Royals at the end of 2012/13, following a loan spell, after four and a half years at the Madejski Stadium, during which time he helped them to the 2011/12 Championship-winning squad.
Stephen Hunt was a Reading player between June 2005 and August 2009 and was a member of the 2005/06 squad which won the Championship.
Reading keeper Alex McCarthy spent time on loan at Portman Road during 2011/12, making 10 appearances.
Saturday’s referee is Andrew Madley from West Yorkshire, who has shown 71 yellow cards and four red in 24 games so far this season. His most recent Town match was the 2-1 home defeat to Derby in October 2012, Paul Jewell’s last game in charge of the Blues.
Squad from: Gerken, Loach, Chambers, Hammond, Cresswell, Mings, Berra, Smith, Skuse, Tunnicliffe, Edwards, Anderson, Hunt, Tabb, Wordsworth, McGoldrick, Murphy, Nouble, Taylor, Lee.