Preview: Town – Saints

Town will be looking to bounce back from Saturday’s defeat against Preston with three points against Southampton at Portman Road tonight.

Town will be without defenders, Ben Thatcher and Moritz Volz which should allow Pim Balkestein into the team. Danny Haynes is still out with a hamstring injury but Ivan Campo is back in the squad after recovering from a calf injury.

Town assistant manager John Gorman: "We played better against Preston on Saturday than we did in our win at Queens Park Rangers the previous weekend, despite the 3-2 defeat at Deepdale our confidence levels are still high and we have no fear going into the game against Southampton.

"Richard Wright had a quiet game.

"But the lads have been great and came in yesterday as bright as buttons and are looking forward to tonight's game.

"George Burley took me their, but the position was not perhaps my best role. Because of their financial situation I don't think they have replaced me.

"Like Ipswich, Southampton is a wonderful football club with similar supporters and chairman Rupert Lowe is always looking to do what is best for the club.

"Apart from a couple of newcomers I know the players well and there is a great deal of talent on their books.

"I am told they are playing a bit more direct these days and they will give us a severe test."

"They've won two on the trot and I respect them for that. I don't want them to go down but I'll start worrying about that after tonight's game."

Southampton will have Paul Wotton available again but they are likely to stick with the side that has seen them win the last two games.

Southampton head coach Mark Wotte: "Ipswich away is a very important game for us so I don't want to talk about those two wins anymore. Whatever was in the past is in the past and we now have to concentrate on this game, the confidence has grown and the boys are coming in with happy faces but I'm always a little bit concerned after two victories that we have to get everybody back on their toes and switched on again.

"It is a difficult game for us, but we have beaten other teams away from home this season. To do it again everybody has to be 100% focused and not carried away by the last game, this one is totally different and we have to approach it like a cup final.

"We just go from match to match at the moment, I don't want to set any targets because I don't want to put any extra pressure on us. We go to Ipswich tomorrow to beat them and if that doesn't happen then we hope to get a point because I don't want to take a defeat.

"The expectation of their fans is Jim Magilton's concern and I am just concentrating on our team because we have to recover very quickly from Saturday's 100% effort from everyone.

"From our point of view I think that psychology is important at this stage because everyone has to come down from the clouds again and remember where we are in the league and that we have to fight in order to survive.

"We can't let anybody think after two home wins that we are safe because we aren't at all and we need a few wins to put pressure on the teams that are above us."

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