Ipswich began their FA Cup campaign with a trip to Bracknell Town in the first round, and after the game remained goalless until the hour mark, they eventually went ahead through a David Bayliss own goal before Freddie Ladapo and Panutche Camaraadded their names to the scoresheet to send the Tractor Boys through with a 3-0 triumph.
That booked a second-round tie at home to sixth-tier Buxton, and the Suffolk outfit would again prevail in relatively comfortable fashion, as Conor Chaplin hit a brace alongside goals from Gassan Ahadme and Kayden Jackson to punch their ticket to this stage.
Kieran McKenna‘s side have enjoyed an eye-catching first half to the League One season too, in their bid for an automatic promotion to the Championship this term, as they consistently maintained a place in the top two and sat on 48 points from the opening 23 outings, but Ipswich now head into the weekend on the back of a pair of draws and a drop to third spot.
They firstly had Chaplin to thank as he drew them level at 2-2 away at Portsmouth in the dying minutes of the contest after Christmas, before again equalising in the final 10 minutes last time out, as Cameron Humphreys forced a share of the spoils away at Lincoln City.
While they cannot be too disheartened by those results away from home, they have caused the Tractor Boys to be leapfrogged by Sheffield Wednesday and drop out of the top two, and they will be keen to return to winning ways and rebuild momentum starting on Saturday, with the added incentive of an FA Cup fourth-round spot.
They meet a Rotherham United side who are also hoping to inspire a run of league form with a cup victory at the weekend, albeit for a different reason, having dropped deep into the relegation fight at the bottom end of the Championship.
After a positive start to their first season back in England’s second tier under the management of Paul Warne, Matt Taylortook over in October and quickly oversaw victories over Huddersfield Town and Stoke City, but the Yorkshire outfit have now managed just one further three-point haul in their last 12 league outings.
That came away at second-placed Sheffield United prior to the World Cup break, and the Millers are now without a victory in their last six league outings, with just a single point coming from the five games since their return to action courtesy of a 2-2 draw at home to Stoke City.
Following that result, Taylor’s side were firstly beaten 2-0 away at fellow strugglers Huddersfield Town before being thrashed 3-0 at Millwall last time out on New Year’s Day, as Tom Bradshaw hit a brace alongside a Cameron Humphreys own goal.
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Such a tough run has seen Rotherham drop quickly down the Championship table, and now sitting 21st with just a one-point lead over the drop zone, they will be desperate to start rebuilding confidence with a win over their third-tier opposition on Saturday to book their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Having already progressed through two rounds to reach this stage, and with the chance of toppling higher opposition, Ipswich Town should come into Saturday’s tie with a full-strength starting XI, and Freddie Ladapo will likely lead the line against the side he joined from in the summer, having netted 10 goals in all competitions since switching from the Millers to the Tractor Boys.
He should be joined by Conor Chaplin, with Wes Burns also continuing to play a key attacking role from the wide areas, while Sam Morsy and Lee Evans should continue their midfield partnership, given Massimo Luongo is unlikely to be ready to feature so soon after his arrival was announced on Thursday.
