Tomorrow sees the visit of Paul Jewell’s Ipswich Town to St Andrews as Blues return to Championship action. This is one of the two games in hand that Blues have thanks to their participation in the Europa League, and is a good chance for the team to continue its push up the table.

Ipswich Town

Having read a popular unofficial Ipswich website, it’s easy to see that Ipswich are a club in crisis. An unpopular manager, a reclusive owner who doesn’t communicate with the press or the fans (where have we heard that one before) and a team decimated by a lack of investment add up to some unhappy punters.

Form-wise, they’re not doing too badly; having won two and drawn one of their last six – however, their league away form isn’t brilliant and only Doncaster Rovers have conceded more on their travels in the division. Ipswich are lying in a precarious 20th place and are looking nervously over their shoulders at the trapdoor to League One; the fans are restless and a poor start will possibly see them get on Jewell’s back.

One player who definitely won’t be returning to St Andrews is Lee Bowyer, who is out with a groin injury he picked up against Nottingham Forest. Jimmy Bullard may return after illness which kept him out of the FA Cup tie against Hull City (a team he coincidentally is suing for loss of earnings having been sacked for an alleged breach of team discipline) and on-loan Reading stopper Alex McCarthy may make his debut. Ipswich are struggling for players at centre-half, and are hoping to complete the loan signing of Chelmsley Wood-born Sean St Ledger from Leicester in time to play at Blues.

Birmingham City

Blues have a few injury worries of their own; Stephen Carr is definitely out with a knee injury and Liam Ridgewell and Pablo Ibanez are both doubts for the game. This leaves just four fit first team defenders (Spector, Davies, Caldwell and Murphy) and it means Chris Hughton is going to have to decide whether to put a rookie defender on the bench or chance it without any defensive cover. Guirane N’Daw has now left for the Senegalese squad in the Africa Cup of Nations and with Chris Wood having returned to the Albion Blues have just sixteen fully fit senior pros (including Jordon Mutch and Nathan Redmond).

Blues have average form at the moment, two wins, two draws and two defeats in their last six, but their home form is very good. Blues have the only undefeated home league record in the division (one of only six in the top four tiers of English football) and only Man City and Swansea have conceded fewer league goals at home this season in England than Blues.

Despite players being out this is a game we have to win; Ipswich as a club are shaking at the moment and Paul Jewell himself admits they’re prone to making mistakes. If we play with the pizzazz and verve shown against Blackpool we’ll surely win by a couple of goals.

Tags: Chris Wood, Guirane N'Daw, Ipswich Town, Liam Ridgewell, Pablo Ibanez, Stephen Carr