Blues boss Mick McCarthy expects to face a strong Manchester United team at Old Trafford tonight as he believes the Red Devils will see the Capital One Cup as a trophy which they can win this season after two years without silverware.
"They’ll want to win a trophy, Manchester United,” McCarthy said. "And, of course, the Capital One Cup is seen as one which they could win. They’ll not want to lose to a Championship side.
"They’ve got a nice home tie against Ipswich, they’ll want to win and see it as a trophy that they can win. A tough game.”
The Town manager says that despite the more illustrious opposition his team-talk won’t differ too much from his usual pre-match instructions to his side.
"Not really, no,” he continued. "We want to try and win the game. We’re going to have to be well organised and we might be without the ball for a long time because of the way they play.
"So what we have to try and do is not get picked off and played through, be organised, be disciplined. But that is the same every week, except we’re just playing against better players on their home patch.”
Life has been tougher for Manchester United since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure in the summer of 2013 but McCarthy believes the Red Devils are now moving in the right direction.
"It’s funny when managers get jobs there’s always a transition period but it seemed to go on a long time with Moysey, who is my mate, and Louis van Gaal, of course,” he said.
"But they do seem to be getting bang on track now, having watched them on Sunday against Southampton.
"The way they’re playing, and what they’re doing, they just seem to be gelling now, whereas before it seemed to be a bit fragmented. They’re getting it together.”
He added: "Whenever there’s a change there’s bound to be a change in mindset, a change in the way they play, a change in attitude from players to the club, fans towards the players, fans towards the manager, pundits towards the manager, outside influences have all got an opinion.
"And I just think Louis van Gaal’s not taken a great deal of notice of it, he’s got on, he’s signed his players, he’s stayed with how he wants to play and it just seems now that they are getting it together, having watched them yesterday.
"They had a tough start and had Graziano Pellè scored the second maybe we’d be talking differently. But they played the way they play and that’s by keeping the ball, moving them around and eventually picking holes in the opposition.”
McCarthy says he’s made no special provision for United’s patient passing game in training with his side quick to get back into shape when not in possession in their Championship matches any case.
"We do that every week, that’s no different whether we’re playing them or [whoever],” he continued.
"We don’t set off with the mindset against Birmingham that we’ll all be all over the place.
"We didn’t do that at Reading, although it looked like that. That was just one of those nights, they had a good night and we had a bad night.
"But I watched Southampton do it, having a really good start and they were all very disciplined and very organised until somebody gets one pass into the frontman and suddenly they get a goal and it all changes. And that’s what I mean.
"They haven’t changed, they haven’t been listening to all the pundits telling them they should be playing quicker and they should be doing this and that.
"They’ve stuck with it and where are they? Second in the league are they now, two points behind [Manchester City] did I hear on the telly?
"I just think they’ve stuck to what he wants them to do and now they’re all buying into it.
"I think if there were any other influences that were still there that didn’t want to play that way, because that always happens, [they’ve gone], but it seems to me he’s got his players and they’re playing the way he wants to play.”
Does he feel there’s less of a fear factor going to Old Trafford now that Sir Alex Ferguson is no longer there? "I’ll tell you on Thursday morning!”
He says his players will be expecting a tough match whoever starts for the home side, while he speculates on whether the Manchester United players will know any of the names in the Town team.
"It’s up to them to be professional. I wonder about them when they look at my teamsheet and they don’t know any of us, me included. So let’s hope they do that.
"Our lads, I can’t imagine they’ll look at it and think whatever team they put out that it’s going to be anything other than a really hard game.
"And that’s how we have to approach it. Not take it as an insult if they don’t play their top team. Play who is in front of you, and they’re going to have to do exactly the same.”
He says van Gaal and his staff will have done their homework on the Blues: "They’ll have two, three or four reports on us, they’ll have done like we do, the analysis of watching us on their systems. Of course they will have done their work.”
Does he feel he has something to prove as a manager at the highest level? "I’ve a point to prove every day me, to somebody, every Saturday afternoon.
"I don’t get that. I think when I’ve been in the Premier League I’ve managed well there and coached well and I’ve had relative success at the level I was at and with the players I had the and the funds that we had.
"So, I’m quite happy with that. But I’d like to be doing it again. And I’d like to be doing it again with Ipswich. That’s our aim.”
McCarthy admits he revels in being an underdog: "I love slapping the big guy, tell me somebody who doesn’t. It’s not only me, that.
"Stevenage would have loved to have slapped the big guy, wouldn’t they? And Doncaster, because we were seen as that then.
"Not quite the same but nevertheless they would have loved to have beaten us, and nothing changes with us towards Man United.”
He added: "We want to go there and win and if we do it’ll be a fantastic result whatever team they put out, whatever team I put out.
"It’s a game we can go and enjoy, I think, being there. And a place we want to go back to. Let’s hope we’re going back next season in the league.”
The Town boss seems likely to field a much-changed side, albeit one with a bit more experience than the XIs which beat Stevenage and Doncaster in the previous rounds.
Bartosz Bialkowski will probably get the nod in goal with Dean Gerken having been the keeper in Championship games of late.
Defensively, Josh Emmanuel could get another start at right-back having not been involved in the U21s earlier in the week, while Jonny Parr may make his first start of the season on the left with Jonas Knudsen having been rested for the previous Capital One Cup matches.
At the centre of the defence the Town boss has plenty of options. He could field at least one of his regular starters, Tommy Smith, Christophe Berra or Luke Chambers, while recent signing Piotr Malarczyk could be handed his debut. Wales U21 international Josh Yorwerth is another alternative having started the two previous Capital One Cup games.
In central midfield, McCarthy may look to rest both his regular central midfielders, Cole Skuse and Jonathan Douglas, with Kevin Bru looking a certain starter having returned from his hamstring injury.
Giles Coke has started the two previous Capital One Cup matches and could partner the Mauritian international.
Jay Tabb seems set for the left flank, while McCarthy could look to hand a Town debut to Tommy Oar at some stage, perhaps from the start, with Larsen Touré another option. Ryan Fraser and Ainsley Maitland-Niles will probably be amongst the subs.
The Town boss has his usual decisions to make up front but David McGoldrick seems likely to start having been a sub on Friday.
Daryl Murphy was also on the bench against Birmingham and whether last season’s 27-goal top scorer is in tonight’s XI may depend on whether McCarthy has him pencilled in to start against Bristol City on Saturday. If he has then Brett Pitman or Freddie Sears will start tonight.
Like Town Manchester United are set to make changes to the side which lined-up against Southampton (below) with a number of fringe players or youngsters coming into the reckoning.
Brazilian midfielder Andreas Pereira could be handed his debut, while Argentinian international keeper Sergio Romero is also thought a likely starter. Ashley Young, Marouane Fellaini, Ander Herrera and Bastian Schweinsteiger may also be recalled.
England international Phil Jones will be on the bench having recovered from a mild thrombosis with fellow defenders Marcos Rojo and Paddy McNair set to miss out through injury, along with left-back Luke Shaw who is a long-term absentee with a double leg break.
Youngsters James Wilson and Jesse Lingard both played the full 90 minutes and scored for United’s U21s as they beat Everton 3-1 on Monday and won't be involved.
Van Gaal is keen to progress in the competition this year having gone out early during his first season in charge at Old Trafford: "Last year we were already out in the second round [losing 4-0 to the MK Dons].
"Now we are already in the third round so we are already further but you have to fight for every cup and that is what we shall do.
"Ipswich are a very good team, I have seen them play, we have analysed them, and they have very good players.
"They will play directly to their strikers and that’s always difficult to defend. Cambridge and Preston North End did it but we beat them both [in the FA Cup last season].”
The Dutchman says he remembers his previous game against a McCarthy managed side, a crucial World Cup qualifier in 2001, very well.
"We lost against Ireland 1-0 and we lost qualification so it was very disappointing," he said.
Midfielder Juan Mata is expecting a tough match: "On Wednesday we start in the Capital One Cup against Ipswich Town.
"They are a historic team in English football and I'm sure it won't be an easy game for us."
The teams last met in the competition at the same stage back in the 1997/98 season when goals from Alex Mathie and Mauricio Taricco saw the Blues to a 2-0 victory at Portman Road.
In 1971/72 they met at the second round stage at Portman Road, United winning 3-1 via goals from George Best (2) and Willie Morgan, Jimmy Robertson having put the Blues ahead.
Town last faced the Red Devils in the league back in their 2001/02 Premier League relegation season when United won 4-0 at Old Trafford and, in the penultimate game of the season, 1-0 at Portman Road, Ruud van Nistelrooy winning and converting a contentious penalty just before half-time.
Overall, the Blues have won 19 games between the sides (17 in the league) and the Red Devils 28 (24), while nine have been draws.
Blues winger Cameron Stewart, who is currently on loan at Doncaster, was an academy player at Manchester United but moved on without making a senior appearance.
Midfielder Adam McDonnell - who is unlikely to be involved this evening having played for the U21s alongside Myles Kenlock and James Alabi amongst others on Monday - spent time on trial with the Red Devils prior to joining the Blues from Shelbourne in the summer of 2014.
Town have sold 4,600 tickets for the game, while seats can be purchased at Old Trafford this evening at the Ticket and Membership Office.
The draw for the fourth round will be made following the completion of tonight's matches live on Sky Sports News HQ.
While this evening's game isn't live on TV in the UK, the noise from Old Trafford could be audible during the live episode of Coronation Street, which is made at Trafford Wharf less than a mile away.
Tonight’s referee is Simon Hooper from Wiltshire, who has shown 21 yellow cards and no reds in nine games so far this season.
Hooper’s most recent Town game was the 2-0 home victory over Burnley at Portman Road in August in which he booked only visitors’ winger Michael Kightly.
Prior to that he was in charge of the Blues’ 1-0 defeat at Reading in August last year in which he booked Tyrone Mings, Tommy Smith and Christophe Berra and two home players.
He also took control of the 1-0 win at Yeovil the previous season and the 3-0 home win against Crystal Palace in April 2013.
Town squad from: Bialkowski, Gerken, Emmanuel, Chambers, Knudsen, Parr, Berra, Smith, Malarczyk, Yorwerth, Skuse, Douglas, Bru, Coke, Tabb, Touré, Oar, Maitland-Niles, Fraser, McGoldrick, Murphy, Pitman, Sears.