Chairman David Sheepshanks has defended the club's decision to play next Friday's friendly against scandal-mired Italian giants Lazio (KO 8pm). The Rome club were recently relegated to Serie B and docked seven points in the match-fixing controversy.

Sheepshanks told the club site: "One or two people have questioned whether we should be playing a game against a team that have been found guilty of match-fixing and so forth.

"Having reflected on it, we concluded that they have taken their punishment and the current situation is nothing to do with the players or the team that will come to us. The individuals concerned have all left the club.

"Also, the match is in Ipswich's best interests. Lazio are coming as part of the deal that took Matteo Sereni to their club and as a result we are not having to pay a fee and are getting all the gate receipts.

"So why should we cut our nose off to spite our face?

"It will be interesting to see Lazio at Portman Road, but even more interesting for Ipswich Town supporters is the fact that it will be Jim Magilton's first home match as manager and a fantastic warm-up for our first league game against Crystal Palace."

Sereni is back with Lazio after a loan spell with Treviso and has been named in the squad for pre-season games in Austria and against Town.

The 2003 deal which took the former Sampdoria man back to Italy included two home friendlies against his new side, next week's game being the first.

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