Christophe expecting another tough encounter as Town welcome the Seasiders to Portman Road
Despite not winning in 14 games, Christophe Berra still believes that Blackpool will pose a threat to Town this weekend, because the Sky Bet Championship is an unpredictable league.
“We know it’s going to be a difficult game,” Christophe told Ipswich Player.
“They’ve been struggling a bit of late but they got a good last minute goal against Nottingham Forest to get a draw and they’ve got some good individual players.
“I don’t think you can look too much at form, as with the nature of this league you never know what’s going to happen. I just think we need to go out there and concentrate on our game and make sure we set our standards high. If we do that then I’m sure we can get the three points.”
The 29-year-old was in the Scottish national team with Blackpool’s Interim manager Barry Ferguson and believes that the midfielder stepping up from pitch to touchline won’t make any difference to how their players will perform.
“I only played with him for a brief time in the national squad, but you know he’s had a great career at Rangers and he did well at Blackburn,” added the former Wolves man.
“He’s a big character. He’s got a hard job at the moment, but he was a great player and I’m sure he’s got all the attributes to go on and be a top manager.
“I think he’s the kind of player who has earned respect with what he’s done in Scotland, the
players will respect that and want to play for him.”
Team news
Town could well be boosted by the return to the squad of Luke Hyam, who has missed the last four games due to the deep cut on his right knee he suffered at Millwall. Sylvan Ebanks-Blake is also making good progress and coul be involved in the squad after working hard on his fitness, following the hamstring injury he picked up in last month’s FA Cup game with Preston.
Blackpool midfielder Neal Bishop has stepped up his comeback from injury with a behind-closed-doors game for Blackpool during the week. The 32-year-old has been struggling with a hamstring injury and last features for the Seasiders against Barnsley in mid-January.
Where they finished last season
Town- 14th
Blackpool- 15th
Where they currently stand
Town- 7th
Blackpool- 16th
One to watch
Michael Chopra. A familiar face to Town fans, after leaving Portman Road to join Blackpool in the summer. The 30-year-old has made the majority of his appearances from the bench but is a potent threat in front of goal. A proven goal scorer at this level, the striker has also enjoyed spells with Newcastle, Cardiff and Sunderland during his career.
Match Officials
Referee: Mark Haywood
Assistants: Ian Fissenden and Sam Purkiss
Fourth Official: Keith Hill
Live commentary of the game will be available on Ipswich Player, with live updates available through our official Twitter and Facebook pages. Tune into @Official_ITFC at 2pm for exclusive Town team news too.
