Central defender Alex Bruce will be fit to take his place in the Town side which takes on Wolves in Saturday's crucial play-off clash after recovering from the hamstring problem which forced him during Sunday's derby 2-1 victory over Norwich City.

Town boss Jim Magilton looks likely to make only the one enforced change to his side with Shefki Kuqi not ready to return after picking up a hamstring problem in the first half of the derby.

Magilton will have to decide whether Jon Walters is fit enough to start or whether to hand Alan Lee a recall. Walters did well against the Canaries after replacing Kuqi and it may well be that the former Chester man starts alongside Pablo Couñago and is given an hour before Lee takes over late on.

Lee was rested against Norwich after a spell in which he had been the only senior striker available to Jim Magilton and had looked jaded.

In midfield, with Velice Sumulikoski out for the season with a torn artery, Owen Garvan and Tommy Miller will continue in the centre. Liam Trotter is likely to return to the bench in the Macedonian's absence.

Danny Haynes will be on the right with David Norris not yet ready to return after his heel problem, while Alan Quinn will start on the left.

At the back. Bruce will take his place alongside Jason De Vos in the centre with Richard Naylor out for the season having undergone neck surgery. David Wright is likely to continue on the left with Danny Simpson on the right. Sito will be amongst the subs.

Magilton says he wants a repeat of last week's stunning performance in the East Anglia derby: "If we can show the same intensity and the same desire as we did against Norwich City last Sunday then we will be very hard to beat.

"You could feel the passion in the team before the match against the Canaries and I want it to be the same tomorrow. It is a big game, but whether it is the biggest will be known at 5pm tomorrow.

"Certainly, if we win, we will be sitting in a position when we can be looking upwards. If we lose, then we will go into next week's game at Preston still with hopes, but not in as good a position as we are now.”

A win on Saturday would put the Blues, currently seventh after 43 games, five points ahead of Mick McCarthy's side, who sit in eighth at present, but with a game in hand on Town. Crystal Palace are in sixth, a point ahead of the Blues on the same games but with a goal difference superior by two. Watford are in fifth, five points in front of Town.

McCarthy is expected to be able to recall winger Michael Kightly and striker Stephen Ward. Kightly has been out with an ankle problem, while tendinitis has sidelined Ward.

Keeper Matt Murray is a long-term absentee with a cruciate knee ligament injury sustained in pre-season, while Mark Davies is out with a knee problem, Rob Edwards has an ankle strain and Karl Henry also has a knee injury.

McCarthy says he feels his side have what it takes to win the play-offs – if they get there: "If we get into the play-offs, I fancy us to win them. Getting into them is going to be the hardest part.

"If we did get there it would be because we have been playing extremely well during the last three months.

"We would have the momentum with us, coupled with having Michael Kightly back with us.

"Getting there is what we need to concentrate on. But if we can beat Ipswich then we are right back in it.

"I don't know what we are going to need in terms of points from our last four games because we don't know what the others are going to get.

"But we can't affect what they do, we've got to concentrate on getting points ourselves tomorrow.

"Like us Ipswich need to win and they will come to Molineux and play football because that's Jim Magilton's way."

Historically, Town have narrowly had the better of Wolves, winning 27 games (26 in the league), drawing 18 (15) and losing 25 (22). Earlier in the season, the Blues comfortably defeated Mick McCarthy's men 3-0 at Portman Road with Alan Lee, Pablo Couñago and Danny Haynes on the scoresheet.

Town's last victory at Molineux came in November 1991 as the Blues stormed to the old Second Division title and won promotion to the Premier League's first season. David Linighan and Jason Dozzell netted in the second half after Paul Birch had put the home side ahead before the break.

Last season, Town went to Molineux for the second game of the season and contrived to lose despite the home side being reduced to 10 men when Carl Cort was sent off in the 36th minute. Matt Richards also missed a penalty and Jay Bothroyd lashed in the winner from 25 yards.

Saturday's referee is Scott Mathieson from Cheshire, who has shown 59 yellow and two red cards in 32 games so far this season. Coincidentally, Mathieson's last Town game was also against Wolves, but at Portman Road in February 2007. Town lost that match 1-0.

Likely squad: Bywater, Colgan, Wright, Simpson, Sito, Harding, De Vos, Bruce, Wilnis, Garvan, Miller, Trotter, Haynes, Quinn, Williams, Roberts, Couñago, Walters, Lee, Rhodes.

Photo: Action Images

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