Bristol Rovers boss Joey Barton believes Town go into tonight’s game at the Memorial Stadium with a different pressure on them from when the teams met at Portman Road earlier in the season.
When the Gas, who have lost their last five, four of those in the league, visited Portman Road in September and were beaten 2-0, Town were top of the table. Now the Blues are third, six points behind second-placed Sheffield Wednesday and eight behind leaders Plymouth.
"There’s a little bit of a gap opening up, they can’t afford to slip up at this point,” Barton told BristolLive. "There’s a different pressure on them now than there was when we went to Portman Road earlier on in the season.
"With the greatest of respect, they’re sides where we kind of get a free one as a newly-promoted team, based on their spend.
"We’re in our stadium and we’re a wounded animal and I can’t wait to get in that stadium and get after them because we haven’t won four on the spin, but there’s an absurd mindset that we like to take on the big boys.”
Barton has been frustrated by referees in recent games with a number of decisions having gone against his side during Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Lincoln, including the dismissal of striker Ryan Loft.
"It depends what the officials decide to do, if they decide to help the opponent out like they have done,” he added ruefully.
"Hopefully we get a square go. We can beat anybody - we know that - we can beat absolutely anybody, but if the referee and officiating team don’t call it square then you’re up against it because you’re competing against the invisible enemy.”