THE OPPOSITION
Relegation for Paul Lambert's men is almost certainly a case of when, not if, as they sit rock-bottom of the Sky Bet Championship, currently 13 points from safety. Indeed their fate could be sealed tonight should they be beaten and Millwall, Reading, and Wigan Athletic all win.
A change of direction last summer, with Paul Hurst replacing the long-serving Mick McCarthy at the helm, never paid off. A run of just one win in 21 Sky Bet Championship games to start the season, during which time Hurst lost his job, left The Tractor Boys cut adrift at the bottom.
Under Lambert the Suffolk side have become harder to beat, losing just twice in their last nine matches, but they also have just four league wins to their name all campaign. They do come into tonight's game on the back of one of those victories, a 2-1 success at fellow strugglers Bolton Wanderers on Saturday.
Former Bee Alan Judge (pictured above), who signed a new two-year contract with the club last week following his January move, is likely to line-up against us tonight, having started every game during his time so far in East Anglia.
TEAM NEWS
Rico Henry will be assessed ahead of the game following his comeback on Saturday but there will be no Daniel Bentley or Yoann Barbet again due to injury.
For Ipswich, midfielder Jon Nolan will again be missing with Paul Lambert not yet sure if Will Keane will be fit enough to make his return. Toto Nsiala is slated to come back into the side in place of veteran James Collins while Emyr Huws, Freddie Sears, Grant Ward (all knee), Tom Adeyemi (Achilles) and Jack Lankester (back) are all out.
THE MANAGER
Portman Road became Paul Lambert's fourth port of call in less than three years when he took over The Tractor Boys back in October. The Scot had been out of work since failing to keep Stoke City in the Premier League last season. Previous to that, Lambert had enjoyed limited success during spells at Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
His early management career included time at Livingston, Wycombe Wanderers and Colchester United. His best period as a manager was with Norwich City, a team he guided to successive promotions from League One to the top flight between 2009 and 2011.
The former midfielder won several honours in his playing days, from domestic titles with Celtic to the Champions League with Borussia Dortmund. Capped 40 times at international level, he played every minute of Scotland’s 1998 World Cup campaign.
PRE-MATCH FEATURES
🗣 Thomas Frank not taking Ipswich lightly ahead of tonight's encounter
🆚 Hot Off The Press: Stuart Watson of the Ipswich Star with the rundown on The Tractor Boys
⚖ Ref Watch: Andy Davies will be the man in the middle tonight
LAST TIME OUT
Neal Maupay's late penalty proves decisive during our last meeting at Griffin Park
TICKET INFO
Tickets for our final game under the lights this term are on General Sale. Join us tonight from £28 adults and £6 juniors. Buy online and print at home until kick-off
Buy online now
MATCH COVERAGE
Mark Burridge is your host for live match commentary tonight from 7.15pm. He is joined by Richard Lee and Stuart Wakeford to talk through the highlights and take you to full-time on iFollow Brentford.
Tonight's match will also be broadcast live on iFollow for both domestic and international supporters. For more information click here.
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