Ipswich Town

Image source, Rex Features

Max Cleworth feels Ipswich Town have one of the strongest squads in the Championship as Wrexham prepare to face the Tractor Boys for the third time this season on Saturday afternoon (15:00 GMT).

The Red Dragons drew 0-0 in the reverse fixture at Portman Road on 22 November but beat Kieran McKenna's side 1-0 in the fourth round of the FA Cup last weekend.

And Cleworth feels today's Championship contest with automatic promotion hopefuls Ipswich at Stok Cae Ras will provide another indicator of where Wrexham are at present.

"They've got one of the best squads in the league, there's a reason they were in the Premier League last year as well," the defender said of Ipswich.

"So their squad is very good, I think they can make a lot of changes and be just as strong.

"I'd imagine they'll make a few changes, but I think in terms of how they play and the intensity of the game it will be quite similar.

"I think they're a top team, a well established club. To test ourselves against these kind of teams and players is a good sign of the club's direction."

McKenna made 10 changes to his starting line-up for the cup meeting between the sides eight days ago.

The Northern Irishman is expected to rotate his team once again for the Championship contest with Wrexham.

Despite the possible raft of personnel changes, Phil Parkinson feels Ipswich's approach to the contest will remain similar to how it has done throughout the campaign so far.

"First of all, when the [FA Cup] draw came out, it was a double-header and we've won the first one. Now the aim is to go another step in the league," said the Wrexham manager.

"Will it be a similar type of game? I expect them to set up in a similar shape. They've played the same shape all season.

"Different personnel I would imagine, they'll make changes, but so will we, so we'll see on the day."

Image source, Opta

Wrexham and Ipswich Town will hope to keep their respective play-off and promotion bids on track when they meet at Stok Cae Ras on Saturday (kick-off 15:00 GMT) for the second time in a week.

The Red Dragons beat a much-changed Ipswich side 1-0 in the FA Cup fourth round just last weekend.

Phil Parkinson's side are level on points with sixth-placed Derby County before the weekend's fixtures but after winning four on the bounce, Wrexham have since won just two of their past six (D2 L2).

The Tractor Boys have won six of their past nine (D2 L1) and are seven points behind second-placed Middlesbrough with two games in hand on the top two.

• This will be just the second league meeting between Wrexham and Ipswich, following their goalless draw in this season's reverse fixture in November.

• After their goalless stalemate with Wrexham earlier this season, Ipswich could draw 0-0 home and away to an opponent in a Championship campaign for the first time since 2016-17 (v Wolves).

• Wrexham have failed to win any of their past three home league games (D1 L2), with only bottom-placed Sheffield Wednesday (35) conceding more goals on home soil than Wrexham (24) in the Championship this term.

• Ipswich Town have lost just three of their past 20 league games (W12 D5), however, each of the three defeats came in away games.

• Ipswich Town have benefited from five own goals in the Championship this season, the most of any side, while Wrexham are joint-second in that category in the league (4, level with Millwall).

Image source, Shutterstock

Ipswich Town forward Jaden Philogene will miss Saturday's Championship match at Wrexham (15:00 GMT) after suffering a setback in his recovery from a knee injury.

The 24-year-old has missed Ipswich's past five games since being forced off in the first half of their 3-0 Championship win over Blackburn Rovers on 17 January.

"He's had a little setback, unfortunately, when he tried to train with the group, so we're not exactly sure on timescale, but he won't be available this weekend and has had to take step back, which is a disappointment," head coach Kieran McKenna told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"It's not a serious one but the last stages of the rehab on those can be really tricky. You can get to a certain point almost training or almost non-contact training, but sometimes it can catch you and run on longer than you hoped."

McKenna has been given better news on midfielder Marcelino Nunez, who will travel with the squad to north Wales, having missed four games with an ankle injury.

But another forward, Wes Burns, remains sidelined along with Philogene after suffering a groin injury in the 2-1 win at Derby a fortnight ago.

Ipswich are currently fourth in the Championship table, seven points adrift of the automatic promotion places.

Image source, EFL

Puma's Rainbow ball will return to the English Football League as part of an on-going campaign against discrimination and homophobia.

The special edition rainbow ball was introduced in 2024 to mark LGBTQ+ History Month and will be used at every EFL game from 20 February until 1 March.

Manufacturers Puma will make a donation to Football v Homophobia for every goal scored with their rainbow ball across the Championship, League One and League Two.

The donations will help support education against homophobia and promote inclusion across the season.

The EFL have released a video, external to coincide with the campaign which features a Preston North End fan who was charged with a hate crime following homophobic chanting during an FA Cup fixture against Chelsea.

The rainbow ball will also feature in EFL partner EA Sports' FC 26 video game.

"The rainbow ball is a powerful symbol of the values we uphold across the EFL all season long," EFL chief executive officer Trevor Birch said.

"It not only reflects our longstanding commitment to ensuring the League is representative of all its diverse communities, but also reminds us that we all have a role to play in creating an environment in which everyone feels they truly belong."

Pundits Ellen White and Shay Given join host Alex Scott to bring you the action and talking points from Friday and Saturday's FA Cup ties.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Hull City 0-4 Chelsea

• Wrexham 1-0 Ipswich

• Burton Albion 0-1 West Ham

• Manchester City 2-0 Salford City

• Aston Villa 1-3 Newcastle

• Liverpool 3-0 Brighton and Hove Albion

There are two ties on Friday as the FA Cup fourth round gets under way, and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Hull City v Chelsea - BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live & BBC Humberside

• Wrexham v Ipswich Town - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3, BBC Radio Wales & BBC Radio Suffolk

Kick-offs 19:45 GMT

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Hull v Chelsea" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Wrexham v Ipswich".

Find out more about how to listen to football on BBC Sounds

How to follow the FA Cup fourth round on the BBC

Image source, Shutterstock

Defender Ben Johnson says he has never considered leaving Ipswich Town despite being short of game time for the first team this season.

The 26-year-old hopes to play against Wrexham in Friday evening's FA Cup tie in North Wales having started against Blackpool in the previous round.

It was one of 11 appearances he has made this season but he has not had a start in the Championship since early November.

"I really enjoy being at Ipswich. Off the back of a relegation, we've still held on to really good players and this could be the season that we get promoted - we're working so hard towards it," Johnson told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"It's something I want to be a part of. I've been blessed enough to win things in my career and if I could get promoted with Ipswich, at such a historic club, then I'd definitely look back on that with a lot of joy and pride.

"I came back to pre-season wanting to stay and wanting to get Ipswich promoted back to the Premier League."

Johnson expects a tough game against Hollywood-backed Wrexham, who, he says are "a group put together really well by the owners".

He added: "A Friday night under the lights in an FA Cup fixture is one we'll be relishing but they'll be relishing as well, especially with playing them next week [in the league]. They're riding high on momentum - look at their last three or four seasons, back-to-back promotions, and they're looking to do another one."

Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna says their upcoming fixture schedule is "unparalleled" compared to other teams in the Championship.

The Tractor Boys have already made three journeys this season for away games which had to be rearranged.

Town's Championship fixture at Portsmouth has been postponed twice - first because of a frozen surface on 4 January and then again on 3 February because of a waterlogged pitch.

Ipswich also played 79 minutes at Blackburn in September before the game was called off when heavy rainfall made the pitch unplayable and they had to replay the match at Ewood Park in December.

"We know the schedule that we've had over the last couple of months," McKenna told BBC Radio Suffolk before their FA Cup fourth-round tie at Wrexham.

"We know the schedule that we have coming up is unparalleled really in terms of the other teams in the league.

"We have games to catch up. We've had two trips to Portsmouth and one to Blackburn this year that had to be repeated.

"We know we've got an awful amount of games and trips to come in the months ahead and really important goals there."

McKenna's side will play eight games in the next 29 days, with the potential for another to be added should they reach the FA Cup fifth round, which would see their league game against Leicester on 7 March rearranged.

"There's no doubt, to be honest, we will utilise the squad [at Wrexham]. Players will come in, have an opportunity to play, to get minutes to impress," McKenna added.

"It's always a nice change when you get to the FA Cup week to be honest, especially when you're in a season like us where you're sort of really thinking about your goal in the league.

"The FA Cup provides a nice change of focus. The boys are looking forward to that, looking forward to a game in a different competition."

Image source, Opta

Wrexham welcome Championship promotion rivals Ipswich to the Stok Cae Ras in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday night (19:45 GMT).

The Red Dragons are sixth, three places below the Tractor Boys, FA Cup winners in 1978.

Phil Parkinson's side are winless in their past three home games while Kieran McKenna's Town have taken seven points from their past four games on the road.

• This will be just the second time that Wrexham and Ipswich Town have met in the FA Cup; the Welsh side won 2-1 at the Racecourse Ground in the third round in the 1994/95 season.

• Ipswich Town have faced Welsh opposition four times in the FA Cup, progressing from three of those; their 2-1 defeat vs Wrexham in January 1995 the only exception.

• Wrexham will be looking to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time since 1996/97, a season during which they beat Peterborough United 4-2 in the fourth round before losing 1-0 at the quarter-final stage against Chesterfield.

• Ipswich have been eliminated from 10 of their past 12 FA Cup fourth round ties, though did win at this stage last season when they defeated Coventry City 4-1 away from home.

• Wrexham are unbeaten across their past nine home FA Cup proper ties (W5 D4), since a 2-1 defeat to Oxford United in the second round in December 2013. Each of the Welsh side's last five home games in the competition have seen them score 3+ goals.

Image source, Shutterstock

Ipswich Town midfielder Jack Taylor says the current team should not be compared with the one which won promotion from the Championship two years ago.

Taylor is one of only a handful of players who were part of the side which reached the Premier League by finishing second with 96 points - their second successive promotion.

They are well placed in the automatic promotion race with Saturday's 2-1 win at Derby keeping them third in the table, five points behind second-placed Coventry, but with a game in hand.

"I don't think you can compare. The squad is completely different, if you look at all the players that have left and the players that have come in, it's a different profile so difficult to judge on that," he told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"Talent-wise, I'd say (there's) probably a little bit more now but the group we had at the time, we knew our jobs and the team didn't really rotate as much as it does this year."

He added: "The season we went up two years ago, teams didn't expect us to play how we did and came after us a little bit more - now we're playing against teams that are low blocking and getting bodies behind the ball, which is harder to break down.

"And we're expected to win every game now in the Championship, which is completely different to two years ago. That's the challenge we've got ahead of us."

Ipswich take a break from league action on Friday when they visit Wrexham in the FA Cup fourth round.