By Aston
January 8 2005

Ipswich Town will be hoping to book a place in the draw for the FA cup fourth round by beating Bolton at Portman Road today.

Bolton Preview

Ipswich Town will be hoping to book a place in the draw for the FA cup fourth round by beating Bolton at Portman Road today.

Ipswich Town manager Joe Royle could be missing up 4 first team squad members for the game today: Richard Naylor is doubtful with a hip problem, Dean Bowditch is suffering from the flu, Matt Richards has food poisoning while Drissa Diallo is still about a week away from a return from injury. On a brighter note Daniel Karbassiyoon has been allowed to play by Arsenal.

Town manager Joe Royle, who of course was the last English manager to lift the cup in 1995 still believes in the magic of the FA Cup and that tomorrows game will be a good test for Town, saying: “I strongly disagree with anyone who says that the FA Cup has lost its shine over recent years. It is still the premier cup competition in the world, there are many players who will tell you that it was the highlight of their life playing in the Final at Wembley or the Millennium Stadium.

“And of course for the smaller clubs there is always that opportunity for a giantkilling.

“The drama of the Cup is amazing, it is where David can take on Goliath and beat him - and regularly too. I love the competition.

“There are some great ties this year as well, with the likes of Yeading hosting Newcastle and Exeter going to Old Trafford.

“We've got a great draw ourselves against a Premiership side and it will be a good test of our credentials to see how we do against Bolton.

“Having said that, we will be looking at making changes for the game. We have had a heavy schedule over the last week or so and we will mix things up a bit.”

Bolton Boss Sam Allardyce has striker Kevin Davies back after a spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury but is still with out defender Julio Cesar.

Big Sam is likely to make a few changes to his side from the one that ended Bolton’s recent slump in form and has praised the job Joe Royle has done since taking over at Portman Road, saying: “I'm glad we are back on track after the victory at Birmingham, it's been a good start to 2005 and the challenge now is to get back to where we should be for the rest of this campaign - starting tomorrow at Ipswich Town.

“It's an important game for us and I really want to progress in the competition. It will be a difficult test, but I remain confident that we are good enough to progress. I will pick a side that is experienced enough to win the game.

“I will assess my players after the hectic Christmas period ahead of the game and pick a side from there, it is inevitable that changes will be made to the line-up from the Birmingham City match. The team will be hugely experienced and those players coming in will have played a major part over the past 21 games this season. The players are fatigued and we have few niggling injuries to overcome. We will struggle to get our entire squad 100% fit, because of their demands in the past ten days.

“Attitude will be the key on Saturday. The side I pick will be good enough to beat Ipswich. I expect the players to play with the right attitude and help us progress further in the competition.

“Joe Royle is proving yet again that he is a successful manager. The job he has done at Ipswich is remarkable, when you consider the problems they have faced in recent years. He is getting the best out of his players and they seem to enjoy playing for Joe.

“This tie is important for both side, but I am sure Joe's priority is winning Ipswich promotion at the end of the season.

“Ipswich are the form side in the Championship and deserve to be at the summit of the league table. They look very comfortable and are the best club outside the Premiership.”

Ipswich Town squad: Darren Bent, Dean Bowditch, Pablo Couñago, Aidan Collins, Darren Currie, Kelvin Davis, Jason De Vos, Kevin Horlock, Danny Karbassiyoon, Shefki Kuqi, Jim Magilton, Tommy Miller, Scott Mitchell, Richard Naylor, Lewis Price, Matt Richards, Ian Westlake, Fabian Wilnis.

Source: Ipswich Town and Bolton Wanderers - the official websites.

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