The Blues and the Lions are separated by goal difference alone in the Championship table, with both sides chasing down Coventry City and Middlesbrough in the automatic promotion spots.
But Millwall boss Alex Neil has stressed that, despite the fact it’s a ‘vitally important’ match for his team, it ‘won’t make or break’ their season. McKenna feels the same way about Town.
“We’ve got 27 points to play for, they’ve got 24 points to play for,” McKenna explained. “Of course, it would be a big game to win for either team, but whichever way it goes, I think both teams will be looking at still being in a strong position going into the break.
“The motivation couldn’t be any higher to go and win the game and prepare as well as we possibly can, but we know that each of the last nine games for us are going to be billed as very important games and they are very important games.
“But you take each one as it comes and it doesn’t mean anything more really than the three points, to be honest.
Alex Neil has helped the Lions push for a top-two finish (Image: PA)
“The best way to get those three points is to focus on your performance, executing what you want to execute and playing as well as you possibly can to try and get the result.
“Then, whether it goes your way or it doesn’t, you get on with trying to get the next one.”
Millwall are in a great spot, having tried and failed to climb into the play-off places in recent seasons. They look nailed-on for a top-six finish, but are still determined to secure automatic promotion to reach the Premier League for the first time.
Their form speaks for itself – top for clean sheets [15] with the fourth best away record in the second tier [32 points from 18 games].
“They’ve done very well,” McKenna admitted. “It’s clear to see in their results and when you watch the games you see how competitive they are.
“Credit to them, they deserve to be where they are, obvious to say. They’ve got a really good, experienced manager, good players and a really effective team. It’s going to be a real test for us tomorrow.
Asked whether Ipswich and Millwall have had the praise they’ve deserved for this campaign, McKenna replied: “I don’t follow the discourse around Millwall, but they’ve done excellently.
“They’re a team that have been around the play-offs for the last few seasons in a row, so they’ve consistently challenged I think for a few seasons in this division and they’ve taken another step now this year and again, Alex has done a top job.
The Blues tried to sign Millwall talisman Femi Azeez in the January transfer window (Image: PA)
“They’ve got some top, top players for the level, they’ve got a really experienced team, they have good depth.
“It’s no surprise to me that they’re competing at the top end of the division, and for us, I’ll let other people judge. I know how hard we’ve had to work to be at this point, but I also know there’s a long way to go.
“We always want to keep doing better and trying to do better, so that’s just where our focus is.”
The game will see Ipswich come up against Femi Azeez for the first time this season, given that he was suspended for the reverse fixture, which ended in a goalless draw on Boxing Day.
The 24-year-old wide man has notched eight goals and seven assists this season, with his performances attracting interest from Town, who saw a big bid rejected for him towards the end of the January transfer window.
McKenna knows that he’s not their only threat, however.
“Anyone who watches Millwall will see a lot of assists and a goal threat [from Azeez], but it’s not just about that player,” he argued.
“They’ve got good players all over the pitch, they’ve got a few players who are performing right at the top of the level of the Championship, they’ve got some big experience, they’ve got good options, they’ve got depth, they’ve got different profiles that they can play in different positions.
“They’re a really strong team with lots of capable players and we’ve prepared as well as we could. We’ll give them as much respect as we possibly can and then we’ll focus on our strengths and go and try and bring the game to them.”