Emyr Huws and Teddy Bishop both return to the Town squad for tomorrow’s live Sky game against Sheffield Wednesday at Portman Road, while manager Mick McCarthy has confirmed that Myles Kenlock will replace the suspended Jonas Knudsen at left-back.
Huws has returned to training having picked up a minor hamstring injury after recovering from the achilles problem which has prevented him from making a first-team appearance this season, while Bishop underwent groin surgery in August.
"He’s OK, he’s trained,” McCarthy said of the Wales international. "He’s involved, both him and Bish are in the squad.
"And they’re in the squad because we’ve got four games coming up in quick succession and they could both contribute.
"Whether they can cover 90 minutes in Championship football is another matter but, of course, they’re both very, very good technically and you can see now in training, it’s improved with both of them training with us every day.
"They’re getting there and it’s that last final leap from playing in the U23s, training every day, then playing in the first team. And, of course, not playing too soon and having to come off at half-time with a tight hamstring or a sore groin or calf.
"But they’re both looking good in training and they’re both feeling good about themselves being back in the squad.”
McCarthy says the duo will gain confidence that they’re fully over their injuries from incidents which occur when they’re playing games.
"If you’ve had a hamstring problem or a calf, you can go on a long run or a long sprint and you’re all right or it’s a 50/50. Or you’ve had a sore ankle you jump and land and then you forget about it because it’s OK.
"I’m hoping all those things will happen to Bish and to Emyr and we get them back playing because they are terrific, the pair of them.”
Tommy Smith remains out with the calf injury he sustained while away with New Zealand.
"He’s not available for this one, he’s still nursing that calf along,” McCarthy said regarding the centre-half.
The Blues boss, who confirmed he would make changes to the team which faced Hull for tomorrow's game, says there were no new injuries sustained at the KCOM Stadium on Saturday but Jonas Knudsen reached five bookings and will miss out against the Owls.
"Only Jonas being suspended, he’s the only one that’s missing,” he added. "Danny Rowe’s got a bit of a knock but Danny’s not been involved in the team, so that’s not affecting us too much. But I’d still like him fit.”
Will Town miss Knudsen? "I hope not. If I go round telling Myles that, that’s going to do him a whole load of good, isn’t it? ‘By the way, we’re going to miss Jonas!’. Blooming heck he’ll be listening to the radio and topping himself!
"Myles has been doing great [in training]. I think he’s had a really good couple of weeks, maybe he knew Jonas was on four bookings, who knows?
"But he has really done well. We know he’s good with the ball, he’s athletic enough. He’s behind Jonas in terms of being first choice but I’d like him to give me a problem. But we all expect that Jonas will miss this game and will come back in because he’s been terrific.
"But I want Myles to be able to play four or five games on the bounce if need be and, who knows, that could happen. We could have trouble at centre-half. Jonas can go there, we could play three at the back. I want him giving me a problem.
"So I hope we don’t miss him. I hope Myles is brilliant and I’m looking at the next three games thinking, ‘Maybe he deserves another one’.”
He says Kenlock knowing that he’ll almost certainly only be in the side for one game comes with the territory.
"That’s the footballer’s life, you have to accept it,” he continued. "We all know there comes a period of time in a season when the manager’s got a team, it’s a settled team, he’s playing it week in, week out, you’re behind him, he’s having a great season and you know full well if he gets suspended you’re not going to nick his spot on one game.
"But if somebody gets injured or poorly and misses two or three and you get in, well, if you have three good games then that puts the pressure on the manager to say, "Do you know what? He deserves to stay in’.”
Did Tristan Nydam, who impressed at left-back at Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup, come into his thoughts for the role?
"No, Myles is the number two left-back,” the Blues boss confirmed. "Tristan’s a younger fella coming through, he’s played wide left and if I had any problem, if Myles came in tomorrow and he’d got flu, Tristan would play and I wouldn’t have any worries at all.”
Tom Adeyemi remains sidelined with his hamstring injury but is expected back for the Nottingham Forest match, while Luke Hyam is still out having undergone knee surgery in September and Andre Dozzell is likely to be out for the rest of the season having had a cruciate knee ligament reconstruction in August.