Town return to home action when leaders Coventry City visit Portman Road on Saturday afternoon with manager Kieran McKenna looking to bounce back from the disappointments at Oxford and Blackburn.

The Blues appeared to be hitting their straps and had broken into the play-off places following a six-game unbeaten run, but fell to a surprise 2-1 loss to the U’s a week ago, then were fortunate not to lose again at Ewood Park on Tuesday having been thoroughly under par, Sindre Walle Egeli bagging his first goal in English football in the dying embers of the match to claim a 1-1 draw.

Town face what on paper is their biggest challenge so far this season with Coventry having set the early pace and, up to now, no one able to keep up with them.

The Sky Blues, who finished fifth last season before losing to Sunderland in the play-off semi-finals, currently top the division by 10 points having picked up 43 from their first 18 games, 15 more than the Blues. They have won their last five matches and 11 of their last 12.

Coventry are the division’s top scorers on 50, having reached the half-century quicker than any side in the second tier since Sheffield Wednesday managed it in 16 matches 1958/59, with the Blues and Hull City a distant joint-second having bagged 30 each.

Only Stoke, 14, who are at Portman Road next Wednesday, have conceded fewer than Coventry’s 18 goals, although half that total has come in the Sky Blues’ last six matches.

On their travels, they have won six, drawn two and fallen to their only Championship defeat this season, 3-2 at Wrexham at the end of October having been a goal up until the hour mark when former Blues striker Kieffer Moore hit a hat-trick.

They have scored 25 goals on the road, again the highest in the division by a margin, Southampton are second with 18, while shipping 11, the eighth-fewest in the Championship and one more than Town have conceded away from home. They are yet to concede first away this season.

“One to really look forward to,” Blues manager McKenna said. “An exciting game, obviously playing the team who are top of the league and in great form and it’s one to really relish.

“There’s not too much more to say about that, it’s the type of game every player, staff member or supporter is looking forward to.”

McKenna says his Sky Blues opposite number, Frank Lampard, who took charge in November 2024, and the Midlands club as a whole have impressed him.

“They’re doing a great job, no doubt about it,” he continued. “It’s not just this season, I think you can look at it over maybe four seasons that I’ve been around the EFL. Their squad build has been outstanding, full credit to them as a club.

“I think, from the outside, there are so many things, so many of the signings that they’ve got right, probably since they sold [Viktor] Gyokeres and [Gus] Hamer and had that investment. For a team who haven’t had parachute payments, they’ve probably done it as well as you could do it in terms of investing well - sold players on for big money, reinvested well.

“Invested in some good international players who now are in their second, third, fourth season at it, so they’re really in their stride. In young British talent, the two centre-halves [Bobby Thomas and Liam Kitching], who have grown and developed with them over a few years. [Matt] Grimes, top Championship experience.

“I think their squad build has been excellent, so credit to the club for that and then Frank has obviously done a great job with them in his time there.

“Last season, with the form that they had, they came really close. They’ve come close now for maybe three or four seasons, it feels like they’ve been there or thereabouts and then they’ve pushed on this year.

“They’ve got all the ingredients of a really, really strong Championship team. I think you can see they’ve really got to grips with what it takes to be successful in this league and they’ve built it over a good amount of time and there’s no doubt that from manager to staff to those above and to the players, they’re doing a really good job.

“We’re looking forward to facing them. It’s going to be a good test and I’m sure it’s going to be a good test for them as well, and let’s see where we’re at.”

McKenna says the continuity in the Sky Blues’ squad is the most significant difference between the sides at present, given the turnover in personnel at Town over the summer.

“I think if you’re comparing the two, the biggest thing is the consistency,” he reflected. “The Coventry team we face tomorrow, seven, eight, nine, 10 starters may be [the same as] when we faced them in the Championship last time round and that wasn’t their first season at it.

“That group’s had a lot of time together and built and grew together, which is what we did with a group from League One upwards, and the fact that they didn’t quite manage the last hurdle in the last few years has kept that group together.

“We know as a club we’re in a really different position to that. We’ve had a much, much, much bigger turnover of players, we know that. And it makes our reality really different.

“We believe we have a talented group, a good group of players, but in terms of time together, it’s incomparable between the two squads.

“In terms of our group, I know where we’re at and some of the challenges we’ve had and some of the positives we’ve had.

“If you talk about a best XI, I think over time, and we’ve only really had the group together for three months now minus three international windows, so it’s still not a lot of time, but relationships start to form and your opinions and ideas of who works best together does start to form.

“I don’t think we necessarily had a best XI in September. I don’t think we had an XI that, in terms of players coming in really late in the window, players new to the league that were robust and ready to go and play every game in the Championship and for us to be successful with that team.

“We’ve had to do it in a different way and we’re trying to grow and build a team that has those connections and those relationships, but that takes time and that’s the process that we’re in.

“There have been some steps forward, some steps back. A couple of games ago, probably everyone felt like we were taking really good steps forward. I said after the game on Tuesday night that it felt like a step back and now we’ve got to try and take two steps forward tomorrow.

“We’re working with the group that we have. We believe in the group that we have. I also know and believe that it’s a really different challenge that our group is trying to do at the moment, trying to bring them together into a really good team.

“That’s the process that we’re going through and we want to do that as quickly as we can, but for so many different factors it doesn’t always happen straight away.”

Unlike recent visitors Wrexham, who ground out a 0-0 draw in the Blues’ most recent home match, and a number of others, Coventry will almost certainly look to take on Town toe-to-toe.

McKenna was asked whether he prefers that to be the case and if he believes it suits his side more.

“Let’s see,” he said. “There’s no point in making any grand statements because we have to go and show it.

“I think if you look at every team who want to be [the dominant side], if we have the most possession in the league, we have there or thereabouts the most shots, if you ask every team in every league in every league in the world in that category whether you would rather a team come and try and have a competitive, more open game with you or face a team who are more interested in stopping you, I think every team in that situation would say the former.

“But then you have to go and show it. It’s just a different challenge. If you look at our home games, Sheffield United, Norwich and Portsmouth have probably been the teams that have come to Portman Road and played a little bit more, there’s been more of an open game and we’ve scored plenty of goals and come out on top.

“The teams that haven’t, we’ve had some frustrating ones and not managed to score as many goals as we would like.

“I think in football, it comes in waves. If you have a few games like the early games I mentioned, then teams are really quick to adjust how they want to play you.

“You have to be good at both over the course of the season, that’s something we’re still working really, really hard at. We haven’t had as many really even games but we also haven’t proved that we can do really, really well in those games yet this season with this team, not consistently enough to say that that’s the type of game that we like.

“I think we’ll have a chance tomorrow. I think we’ll have another chance on Wednesday with the two opponents we have next and they’re games in which we’re going to have to work really, really hard to stop the opposition, to defend their threats, but also they’re teams that most typically want to come and try and win the game and get the bodies forward, and we know against those teams we can make it really, really hard for them to defend us as well.”

Among Coventry’s attacking threats is striker Ellis Simms, who was understood to be the subject of a Town offer before he left Everton for the Sky Blues in the summer of 2023.

“He’s one of many, who I’m sure we were linked with,” McKenna laughed. “They’ve done a top job on the recruitment side in terms of what you can do as a non-parachute club. They’ve done outstandingly well.”

In February, Town won 4-1 at Coventry in the FA Cup, but McKenna says there’s not much to be taken from that match.

“Not really,” he said. “I rarely think there is from FA Cup ties, to be honest, with different players on the pitch for both teams and a different focus at that time, both teams focused on another competition.

“Because the result went our way, I’d love to say that we’ve taken loads and loads from that game and we’ve got the secret sauce, but I don’t think there is.”


Similarly, while having fond memories, the Blues manager isn’t taking much from the last time the teams met in the Championship, away from home in April 2024 in their penultimate match prior to securing promotion.

“Great night,” he recalled. “Feels like we’ve faced variations of this Coventry a couple of times now and they haven’t changed so much, we’ve changed a lot and certainly their group’s really, really pushed on with the players that they have there. A good night, but again zero correlation to this one, but we’ll never wipe a good memory.”

The Team

Inevitably, with the match Town’s fourth in 15 days and the disappointing display at Blackburn, there will be changes.

Christian Walton will be in goal with Alex Palmer back in training but not yet ready to be involved.

Darnell Furlong looks set to return at right-back with Jacob Greaves probably coming back into the team to partner skipper Dara O’Shea at the heart of the defence. Leif Davis will continue at left-back.

In central midfield alongside Azor Matusiwa, McKenna has to choose between Jack Taylor, who started on Tuesday before being replaced at half-time, and Jens Cajuste, with the Sweden international perhaps getting the nod.

The Town boss will almost certainly switch his front four with Walle Egeli coming in on the right, Marcelino Nunez as the number 10 and Jaden Philogene on the left. George Hirst seems set to be the number nine, although McKenna may look to give Chuba Akpom a start in that role at some point.

Sammie Szmodics is fit again following his knee operation and seems likely to play a part from the bench.

The Opposition

Winger Tatsuhiro Sakamoto (concussion) and forward Haji Wright (quad) are both doubts having missed recent games, while another frontman, Brandon Thomas-Asante, is sidelined with a hamstring injury.

Head coach Lampard gave little away on Sakamoto and Wright’s chances of being involved against the Blues at his pre-match press conference.

Lampard says he watched the Blues’ visit to Ewood Park with his side having had no midweek match.

“Going to Blackburn for a midweek game, we had Blackburn come to our place and it was a tough game,” he said.

“Mainly with Ipswich, I respect the team that they are, I respect the team that got promoted two years ago, have been to the Premier League and are now back and we understand they’ve got a lot of good individuals in their squad.

“They’ve got a very good coach, who has proven himself in getting them up last time, so we’re not focusing on one game at Blackburn because I know they’re all a big challenge.

“They’ve clearly got a really strong team. They’ll be at home for this game, so we’ll probably see the best version of Ipswich.”

Like McKenna, Lampard doesn’t see the match being similar to the FA Cup tie earlier in the year.

“Very different,” he reflected. “I’ve got a good understanding of their team, some things have changed for us both since then. That game was a difficult one for us because we were trying to mount a challenge for the play-offs and an FA Cup game against a Premier League team was a challenge for us in lots of ways.

“I think it was a challenge for them as well where they were in the Premier League last season. That game’s been and gone and it’s more about now, where they are at now and, again, I respect the squad that they have.”

Lampard has been impressed by the job his Town opposite number has done at Portman Road.

“It’s great work, it’s amazing work,” he added. “Firstly, to do the work he’s done. I know his story as a coach as well, to get given an opportunity, to work hard for it and then to take it and get Ipswich into the Championship.

“To then go up against parachute teams, as we’re now trying to do, and how tough that is I know that personally, so that work cannot be discounted. He needs full, full credit for that.

“And to move to the Premier League is tough, we know that. Many teams have shown that.

“I’ve got full respect for the job that Kieran’s done. I like seeing really good young coaches do well, get the right credit for doing well.

“And even in tough moments, like being in the Premier League and not being able to win so regularly, for people to still understand he’s a good coach no matter what. And I think he’s going to continue showing that.”

History

Town have a good record against Coventry over the years, winning 41 games (38 in the league), losing 24 times (21) and with 25 matches (23) ending in draws.

The Sky Blues have won only five of the last 31 games between the clubs, Town having come out on top in the last three.

At Portman Road, Town have won six of the last eight league meetings, however, Coventry have been victorious on three of their last five visits to Suffolk in all competitions.

In February, Town secured a place in round five of the FA Cup for the first time since 2007 following a comfortable 4-1 win at Coventry.

Hirst netted from the penalty spot in the second minute after Szmodics had been fouled after only 20 seconds, but the Championship side levelled on eight through Joel Latibeaudiere’s header.

However, Jack Clarke netted twice before half-time and then Philogene completed the scoring with his first for the club on his birthday from a Clarke pass in the second half.

In April 2024, Town moved one point away from a return to the Premier League after a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Coventry.

Kieffer Moore’s eighth-minute goal gave the Blues a 1-0 half-time advantage, but the Sky Blues, who were in charge for long spells, levelled through Wright on 64.

However, Cameron Burgess restored the lead with his second goal of the season five minutes later and Town saw out 11 minutes of added-on time to claim three vital points which put them a single point away from back-to-back promotions, securing them with a 2-0 home victory over Huddersfield the following Saturday.

In the preceding December at Portman Road, first-half goals from Hirst and Wes Burns were enough to see second-placed Town to a 2-1 victory over the Sky Blues, who missed a second-half penalty before a Brandon Williams own goal saw them pull one back deep in injury time.

Hirst gave the Blues the lead in the sixth minute, firing home after being brilliantly played through by Nathan Broadhead, then Burns scored a superb outside-of-the-boot effort on 39, which was later named the EFL Goal of the Season.

Matt Godden smashed his spot-kick against the bar on 73 after Harry Clarke had fouled Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, but the visitors netted a late consolation when Williams nodded past his own keeper under pressure from Simms, although it probably should have been ruled out for a push.

Familiar Faces

Town forward Chuba Akpom spent a month on loan with the Sky Blues in 2013/14, making five starts and one sub appearance without scoring.

Another Blues attacker, Conor Chaplin, currently on loan with hometown club Portsmouth, was with the Sky Blues during the 2018/19 season, the first half on loan from Pompey before the switch was made permanent in the January.

Chaplin netted eight goals in 22 starts and nine sub appearances before moving on to Barnsley that summer.

Ipswich-born Luke Woolfenden moved to the Sky Blues for £4 million in the summer having come through the academy and been part of the back-to-back promotion-winning Town team. Since making the switch, the centre-half has made two starts and four sub appearances and seems set to be on the bench tomorrow.

Coventry head coach Lampard, who scored his first England goal at Portman Road in the friendly against Croatia in 2003, was interviewed for the Town job in May 2018 following Mick McCarthy’s departure and prior to Paul Hurst’s appointment.

Officials

Saturday’s referee is Paul Tierney, his assistants Scott Ledger and Akil Howson, and the fourth official Wayne Cartmel.

Former Premier League official Tierney has shown 22 yellow cards and no red in seven games so far this season having missed the whole of 2024/25 due to an injury but was the VAR official for a number of Town matches.

The Lancashire-based referee last took charge of the Blues in August 2017 for the 2-0 home defeat to Fulham when Dominic Iorfa was the only player to be shown a yellow card.

Prior to that, he was in the middle for another Portman Road game against the Cottagers in April 2016 when the match ended 1-1 and he booked Tommy Smith and Cottagers’ midfielder Scott Parker.

In October of the previous year he refereed the 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest when he booked Christophe Berra, Cole Skuse, Smith, Jonny Parr and no home players.

Before that, he was in charge of the 2-0 derby defeat to Norwich in March 2015 in which he booked Skuse, Tyrone Mings and two Canaries.

He also took charge of the 3-1 home defeat to Barnsley in November 2010 and the after-extra-time 1-0 Carling Cup win at Crewe three months earlier.

Squad From

Walton, Button, Gray, Furlong, Johnson, Young, H Clarke, Davis, O’Shea (c), Greaves, Kipre, Matusiwa, Taylor, Nunez, Humphreys, J Clarke, Walle Egeli, Philogene, McAteer, Szmodics, Akpom, Hirst, Azon.

Kallum Brisset