Town boss Mick McCarthy warns that Saturday’s opponents Wigan Athletic will still be a threat, despite the Latics' current position of second-bottom of the Championship, eight points from safety.
McCarthy admits that he’s surprised to see the Lancastrians, a Premier League club less than two years ago, at the wrong end of the table.
"I keep saying I try not to get too shocked or surprised by football and whatever happens," he said.
"I left Wolves as a Premier League outfit and almost two years later they were a League One club.
"I was surprised about that, that was a shock. And Wigan are in danger of doing it as well.
"They’re down at the bottom, but they have got good players, irrespective of where they are or what they’ve done.
"They’re trying to do a lot of business, I’m not even sure what we’ll face tomorrow because they’re trying to get players in. They’re hoping they’ll have signed a few.
"They’re still a threat, there’s not that much between the teams and they’ve still got some good players.”
He says relegation from the top flight can have a big impact on a club: "I think it shows the devastating effect of coming out of the Premier League.
"Having players on good dough, 25 grand a week, and then others signing on much less. I think it creates divisions in a club.
"Whether that’s happened there, I don’t know, but relegation certainly had a really bad effect on the club.
"But last year they were in the play-offs. I don’t know, it’s a bonkers league, it doesn’t get any saner, does it?”
McCarthy was pleased with his side's display as they picked up their first away win of the season against Wigan earlier in the season.
"It was significant, it was a good performance," he recalled. "We played so well that night and overran them completely, except for the last 10 minutes when they got one back and got back in the game and hit a post.
"It was a really good performance, I think that was what was really significant.”
McCarthy can call on striker David McGoldrick after a two-game absence with a knee injury but 18-goal top scorer Daryl Murphy is out with a calf problem.
McGoldrick is likely to start either alongside Noel Hunt or Freddie Sears, both players having impressed since joining the club.
Hunt, who scored twice at Millwall a fortnight ago, will probably get the nod ahead of Sears, who netted his first Town goal in the 3-2 defeat at Brighton, with the former Colchester man likely to play a role from the bench.
In midfield, Cole Skuse will take up his usual deep central position with Teddy Bishop perhaps coming in for Kevin Bru after playing for the U21s on Monday. Paul Anderson and Jay Tabb look set to continue in the wide roles.
At the back, the Blues boss seems likely to continue with skipper Luke Chambers at right-back, Tyrone Mings on the left and Christophe Berra and Tommy Smith in the middle. Bartosz Bialkowski will again be in goal.
The January transfer window has seen something of an exodus from the DW Stadium. Shaun Maloney has moved on to the Chicago Fire, Ben Watson to Watford, Callum McManaman to West Brom, Adam Forshaw to Middlesbrough, Ivan Ramis to Levante and Roger Espinoza to Sporting Kansas City, while Oriol Riera (to Deportivo La Coruna) and James Tavernier (to Bristol City) have gone out on loan.
Liam Ridgewell has joined on a six-week loan from the Portland Timbers and Australia international Chris Herd has come in on loan from Aston Villa.
This afternoon, the Latics have completed the permanent signings of striker Billy McKay from Inverness Caledonian Thistle and defender Jason Pearce from Leeds.
Manager Malky Mackay is expecting a hard game: "I know Mick really well and his teams are always difficult to play against.
"He’s done really well at Ipswich, they’re a tough, uncompromising team who have plenty of experience and plenty of goals in them.
"Portman Road’s never an easy place to go and certainly not at the moment, but I always enjoy going there and so will the lads.
"It’s a good stadium, good atmosphere and a good pitch and we’re really looking forward to the challenge.
"We’ve pretty much got a fully fit squad, there are a couple of knocks and bruises, but in the main we’re fine and we’re in good shape heading down there.”
In September goals from Luke Hyam and Conor Sammon saw the Blues to a 2-1 victory over Wigan, their first ever win at the DW Stadium.
Hyam, who is currently out with a knee problem, turned home the opener on 20 and loanee Sammon netted against his old club in the 63rd minute, before Martyn Waghorn set up a nervy finish for Blues supporters when he pulled one back with eight minutes remaining.
At Portman Road in March, Wigan returned to Lancashire having claimed a 3-1 win. Tommy Smith put Town in front in the 19th minute, but goals from James McClean and Leon Barnett saw the Latics go in ahead at the break with McClean adding his second and Wigan's third in 77th minute.
Overall, Town have beaten the Latics three times (twice in the league), have lost six times (five) and the teams have drawn one League Cup tie.
Town fitness coach Andy Liddell was a Wigan player between 1998 and 2004 and kit man Paul Beesley was at Springfield Park between 1984 and 1989.
Wigan's goalkeeper-coach is Mike Pollitt, who made one appearance for the Blues during a curtailed loan spell in November 2006, a 3-1 home derby victory over Norwich City.
Supporters are reminded that this weekend is the first of two months of disruption on the railway line between Manningtree and Shenfield.
Saturday’s referee is Charles Breakspear from Surrey, who has shown 59 yellow cards and seven red in 19 games so far this season.
Breakspear’s most recent Town match was the 1-0 home victory over Bolton at Portman Road in February last year in which he booked only Christophe Berra.
Squad from: Bialkowski, Kenny, Chambers (c), Mings, Parr, Berra, Smith, Clarke, Skuse, Bru, Bishop, Ambrose, Anderson, Tabb, S Hunt, Stewart, McGoldrick, Murphy, N Hunt, Sears.