West Ham manager Alan Pardew expects wounds from last season's play-off semi-final to resurface when the teams meet at Portman Road on Nre Year's Day (KO 1pm). The Hammers' boss also says he has been particularly impressed with Town's front two this season.

Pardew is anticipating a Town side in the mood for vengeance: "They will be really determined to knock us back. The play-off semi-final was a huge occasion and I'm sure the wounds from that will resurface when we visit Portman Road on Saturday.

"Of course, we have already played them at Upton Park this season, when we drew 1-1, so that might take some heat out of the occasion.

"But I'm sure the players and fans of Ipswich have been waiting to get us at Portman Road, so they can avenge what must have been a very painful experience.

"We'll have to be weary of that backlash and make sure we don't get sucked into the intensity of the occasion."

Pardew says his team will be out to deny the Blues time and space and feels his backline will have to be particularly wary of strikers Shekfi Kuqi and Darren Bent: "The front two for Ipswich are really dangerous and we'll have to defend very well on Saturday.

"Kuqi is having a great season and you have to appreciate how far he has come and admit that he deserves the success he is getting. Darren Bent is a very quick, athletic player who can also finish well and he showed how dangerous he is when we played Ipswich in the play-offs last season.

"Ipswich have without doubt one of the best strike partnerships in the Championship, proved by the fact that Kuqi and Bent have scored 24 goals between them already this season."

Pardew has a number of injury and illness worries ahead of the game: "We are waiting to make a decision on Teddy Sheringham and Steve Lomas. Teddy took a bad knock on the ankle at Rotherham, while Steve suffered a calf injury and both are touch and go for Ipswich.

"We've also had a couple of players suffering from flu, including Anton Ferdinand who was forced to miss the Rotherham game, and also Nigel Reo-Coker. But we're hopeful that both of them will be fit enough to play."

Midfielder Carl Fletcher is also likely to be unavailable due to a groin injury, while Scottish international central defender Christian Dailly is a long-term absentee with a knee injury.

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