Ipswich Town welcome Leicester City to Portman Road this weekend in a crucial match for Kieran McKenna’s team. The Tractor Boys are still winless in nine Premier League games and sit 18th in the table, three points clear of bottom club Southampton.
Leicester, meanwhile, despite a difficult start to the season, have improved in recent weeks. The Foxes have won two of their previous three Premier League games, defeating Bournemouth and Southampton – the kind of victories against clubs surrounding you that can bring you out of danger.
Former Ipswich defender Mick Mills told BBC Radio Suffolk’s Final Whistle earlier this week that McKenna’s side “need to win” against Leicester, who were also in the Championship last year.
“I’d rank Leicester as one of the teams we may potentially finish ahead of. “If we get it right and get the win we need, we’ll be within two points of Leicester, which is touching distance and where we need to be,” he explained.
“There’s eight or nine teams now that won’t be in the relegation fight – they’re in a different world But there are teams that are going to be down there, and Leicester are one of them – that is why that is important.”
Ipswich have received a significant boost in early team news ahead of the Leicester clash.
Fortunately for McKenna, a lot of his injured players could return this weekend to face Leicester. According to 3 Added Minutes, Omari Hutchinson, Sam Morsy, Ben Johnson, and Jacob Greaves might all return after being sidelined.
Greaves and Johnson have not played in either of Ipswich’s previous two games against Everton or Brentford, while Morsy and Hutchinson were both out against the Bees, Morsy due to a muscle injury and Hutchinson due to illness.
McKenna mentioned Johnson last week, saying, “Ben is still out with a minor thigh injury. He could have been able to make it this weekend, but he hasn’t. We’ll see how he’s doing next week.”
Tuanzebe is still out with a weird injury.
McKenna will still be missing one player against Leicester: Axel Tuanzebe. The 26-year-old defender, who previously played for Manchester United and earns £40,000 a week at Portman Road, is now out with a hand injury caused by breaking a glass while washing up.
He isn’t due back until at least the end of November. McKenna stated earlier this month that Tuanzebe’s injury was a domestic mishap that was both regrettable and terrible. He was near to losing his thumb. He had surgery to replace the injured tendons in his thumb; I believe his recuperation is doing well, but it is a long-term injury.”
Prior to his injury, the DR Congo international had been a crucial player for Ipswich this season, starting all six of the club’s opening Premier League games.
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