 Wednesday, 12th Jan 2011 10:57 Caretaker-manager Ian McParland says Town’s players have to believe that an upset is possible when Arsenal visit Portman Road for evening’s Carling Cup semi-final first leg (Sky Sports One, 7.30pm). The Scot is in charge of the Blues for the final time with new boss Paul Jewell watching from the stands before formally taking over on Thursday. McParland said: “They have to believe they can cause an upset. Upsets happen, Crawley beat Derby County the other night. Notts County went up and won at Sunderland on Saturday.” The former striker has urged his players not be overawed by the occasion, believing he made too little impression on a similar game when a Notts County player in 1984: “I played in an FA Cup quarter-final against Everton and the occasion passed me by. I thought I didn’t do enough in it. We got beaten [2-1] and Andy Gray scored a goal. “It’s not very often you get chances to play in the quarter-finals or semi-finals of trophies. I’m saying to the players, whatever happens with the result, don’t let it pass you by, make sure you go and put your mark on it and enjoy yourself by doing something special.” The Scot says he and the squad have put Sunday’s 7-0 hammering by Chelsea behind them: “What thrashing? When was that? I’ve forgotten about it now. I had my sulk yesterday. That’s gone, we move on now. You have to move on in this life. “My pride was hurt, the players’ pride was hurt, but let’s put it in perspective. We were missing a lot of players, Chelsea have been waiting to give somebody a tanking for a wee while and unfortunately it was us. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s up to the boys to go out there and sweat blood in front of 30,000 Ipswich Town fans. No matter what the result is, they should go out and enjoy themselves and enjoy the occasion.” The 49-year-old says Town have approached the match as they would any other: “We prepare for every team the same. The homework’s done, chief scout Steve McCall gets three match reports, you have a look at DVDs and it doesn’t matter whether it’s Arsenal, Manchester United, Scunthorpe or Queens Park Rangers, no stone is left unturned. “You prepare them and you get them out there and you want them to go and enjoy themselves and express themselves and come off being the best player with somebody at the game saying ‘What a good player he is, he did really well against Arsenal’.” One DVD they haven’t watched is the one of Sunday’s game at Chelsea: “The boys have had a tough time of it, I’m not a bloody sadist!” “I’m positive for our boys about what we’re going to try and do against Arsenal. I couldn’t show them that, that would just kill them off! No, they’re fine. “They’re a quiet bunch our boys, very, very quiet. They’re fine. I think they’re OK, I think they’ve got it out of their system. “They should show Arsenal the utmost respect, but our boys are professional footballers as well, Championship players. They've worked hard to get to this stage, so let’s enjoy the occasion.” McParland’s options are limited with a lengthy list of unavailable players: Grant Leadbitter (suspended), Jake Livermore (groin injury and cup-tied), Rory Fallon (cup-tied), Luke Hyam (hamstring), Brian Murphy (ankle), Shane O’Connor (shoulder) and Alan Quinn (groin). Jason Scotland picked up a sore calf in training on Tuesday, while Troy Brown was suffering from tight hamstrings and both are doubts for the Gunners’ visit. McParland says winger Reggie Lambe and Irish U21 international central midfielder Conor Hourihane will come into the squad. In Scotland’s absence, McParland says Tamás Priskin is likely to come into the side up front alongside Connor Wickham with Ronan Murray expected to play some part from the bench, as he did at Chelsea on Sunday. In midfield, Carlos Edwards and Jaime Peters will probably continue in the wide roles and David Norris and Colin Healy in the centre with few other experienced options at the present time. McParland says it might be too big a game for Luciano Civelli to make his return to senior football after 22 months out due to his multi-ligament knee injury, nevertheless the Argentinian is likely to be on the bench. In defence, Tom Eastman is Troy Brown’s likely deputy at right-back if the former Fulham trainee is unfit with Jaime Peters required in midfield. Mark Kennedy will be at left-back, while Gareth McAuley will be partnered by one of Darren O’Dea, Damien Delaney or Tommy Smith in the centre. Delaney may get the nod due to his greater experience. Márton Fülöp will be in goal. Arsenal will be without central defender Sebastien Squillaci, who has a hamstring injury, while right-back Bacary Sagna is suspended. Polish keeper Wojciech Szczesny is expected to be between the sticks with centre-half Laurent Koscielny, striker Robin van Persie and midfielder Jack Wilshere all in line to return. Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey, who played for his former loan club Nottingham Forest in Town’s most recent game at Portman Road, could also be in the side. Gunners reserves skipper Ignasi Miquel may also be in the squad. Keeper Manuel Almunia (ankle), midfielder Abou Diaby (calf) and centre-half Thomas Vermaelen (achilles) remain on the sidelines. Boss Arsene Wenger is looking for a better performance from his side than in the 1-1 FA Cup draw with Leeds on Saturday but says the pressure to win something this season won’t come into it: "That we have not won a trophy for five years will not have a big influence on the match against Ipswich. "What will have a big influence on us is that we are two games away from the final, and we want to go there. "We will be highly motivated to do it. We will go to Ipswich to do the job well and to turn up with a better performance than on Saturday." Arsenal have had the best of the games between the teams historically, winning 29 (27 in the league), drawing 11 (10) and losing 17 (15). The last cup tie between the teams was in the same competition, the Blues running out 2-1 winners at Highbury in the third round in November 2000 on their way to the semi-finals, where they were beaten by Birmingham. Jamie Clapham and James Scowcroft were on target for the Blues and Igor Stepanovs for the home side. Town were also victorious in the most famous cup clash between the teams, the 1978 FA Cup final, Roger Osborne netting the game’s only goal. The Gunners have only lost one Carling Cup to a side from a lower league during Wenger’s time in charge, at Burnley in 2008. The tie is the Blues’ fourth Carling Cup semi-final, Town having reached this stage in 1981/82, 1984/85 and 2000/01 but having lost on all those occasions. The most recent meeting between the teams was in the Premier League in April 2002 with two Freddie Ljungberg goals giving the Gunners a 2-0 win in a game which saw George Burley give Darren Ambrose his Town debut. No member of the Town squad has played for the Gunners and vice versa, although reserves coach Chris Kiwomya was a player and an academy coach with the North Londoners. Mark Kennedy first burst to prominence as an 18-year-old with a 1995 FA Cup goal for Millwall in a 2-0 victory over the Gunners at Highbury. New manager Paul Jewell’s Wigan side beat Arsenal in the semi-finals of the Carling Cup in 2006, the Latics going on to lose 4-0 to Manchester United in the final. The second leg at the Emirates will be played on Tuesday 25th January. Tonight’s referee is Select Group official Martin Atkinson from West Yorkshire, who has shown 79 yellow cards and eight reds in 21 matches so far this season. Atkinson’s last Town match was the 2-1 home defeat of Nottingham Forest in February 2009 when he booked three Blues players, Pablo Couñago, David Norris and Jon Stead. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger isn’t Atkinson’s biggest fan, picking up an £8,000 fine and a one-match touchline ban for confronting him while he was fourth official during injury time in the Gunners’ draw at Sunderland in September. Squad from: Fülöp, Lee-Barrett, Brown, Eastman, Kennedy, McAuley, Delaney, Smith, O’Dea, Norris, Healy, Hourihane, Edwards, Peters, Civelli, Lambe, Wickham, Priskin, Scotland, Murray.
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