Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna has insisted that tonight’s opponents, Portsmouth, are ‘a lot better than their league position would suggest’.
The Tractor Boys will continue their quest for an immediate return to the Premier League this evening away at Fratton Park against a home side that is just a single point above the relegation zone.
However, McKenna believes that Pompey have played well enough this season to have collected more points.
Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna. Picture: Phil Ham
The Town boss said: “I think across the season they’ve generally played really well. If you look at the statistics, they’re a lot better than their league position would suggest.
“They’re capable of playing some really good football. You’ll see that in a lot of their games they have a lot of possession, a lot of shots but not won, and maybe in a couple of recent games they’ve been a bit more direct and they’ve got some big targets, so they can go direct and make it that type of game as well.
“Going away from home, the league’s always tough, especially this time of the season when a team’s fighting for something, so we’re going to have to stand up to everything that goes our way and try and find a way to put the best of ourselves in the game as well.”
Midfielder Wes Burns could return to the Town squad following a calf injury, while veteran right-back Ashley Young is fit again after a spell on the sidelines.