Ipswich Town head coach Kieran McKenna may be tempted to name an unchanged side for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Southampton at St Mary’s.
McKenna has taken plenty of positives from his side’s point picked up in a 0-0 draw at Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend, and a back four Axel Tuanzebe, Dara O’Shea, Jacob Greaves and Leif Davis is set to remain intact.
Kalvin Phillips is now gaining the regular first-team football he craved at Manchester City on loan at Ipswich, and he is poised to start again in centre-midfield alongside Sam Morsy, with Massimo Luongo and Jens Cajuste set to provide cover on the substitutes’ bench.
Wes Burns and Sammie Szmodics were both handed starts on the flanks last weekend and while they could retain their places in the first XI against Southampton, McKenna may consider selecting either Chiedozie Ogbene or Jack Clarke.
Omari Hutchinson is set to continue operating in the number 10 role, forcing Conor Chaplin to watch on from the bench once again, while Liam Delap is expected to start his fifth successive Premier League games up front and will be hoping to add to the goal he netted in a 1-1 draw with Fulham before the international break.
McKenna has said that he has “pretty much everyone” fit and available for selection this weekend, although some players have been managing “knocks and niggles”. Both Nathan Broadhead (hamstring) and Harry Clarke (Achilles) have been back in training this week and will be pushing to make their first appearances of the season.
Ipswich Town possible starting lineup: Muric; Tuanzebe, O’Hara, Greaves, Davis; Morsy, Phillips; Clarke, Hutchinson, Szmodics; Delap
