Preview: Bracknell Town vs. Ipswich Town - prediction, team news, lineups

At a time when the visitors sit in second position in the League One standings, Bracknell are in mid-table of the Southern League Premier South.

Match preview

For every week that goes by where Ipswich are sitting in the automatic promotion places in League One, Kieran McKenna can be relatively satisfied with the trajectory of his team.

However, just seven points have been collected from five matches, the most recent point coming from one of the most remarkable games of the season at Charlton Athletic.

Ipswich were two goals ahead at the 52-minute mark, only to be pegged back by the 76th minute, and they netted twice in added-on time to lead 4-2 with 94 minutes on the clock before Charlton somehow salvaged the most unlikely of draws.

McKenna can only have been left bitterly disappointed with a share of the spoils, but in the grand scheme of things, Ipswich are still averaging over two points per game and remain three points clear of Sheffield Wednesday.

The East Anglian outfit will hope that Monday's game turns into a routine evening, yet they cannot take Bracknell lightly given the size of the occasion for their hosts.

The Berkshire-based side have already come through ties against Harrow Borough, Chesham United, Yate Town and, most notably, National League North high-flyers Banbury United.

Only games in hand keep Carl Withers's and Jamie McClurg's side down in mid-table in their seventh-tier division with the team currently on a nine-match unbeaten streak in all competitions.

This will be just the second time that Bracknell have competed in the first round of the FA Cup, the first occasion coming in 2000-01 when they lost 4-0 away to Lincoln City.

While the Robins will back themselves to cause a monumental upset, they are facing a side in Ipswich who possess the best away record in League One.

Bracknell Town FA Cup form:

Bracknell Town form (all competitions):

Ipswich Town form (all competitions):

W

L

L

W

W

D

Team News

While McKenna has stressed that he and his squad will respect Bracknell, that is unlikely to stop the Ipswich boss making several changes to his side.

Veteran Richard Keogh should be given an outing in the back three, while Marcus Harness and Freddie Ladapo will hope for opportunities further forward.

Second-choice goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky may also be given a rare outing between the sticks.

Barring any fitness issues, Bracknell will hope to line up with the majority of the team which defeated Winchester City last time out.

Having only started on the substitutes' bench for that fixture, 14-goal top goalscorer Jordan Esprit should be recalled in attack, taking the spot of Kamaron English despite his two goals in that fixture.

Bracknell Town possible starting lineup:

Eacott; Dean, Legg, Cheshire, Bayliss, Lodge, Grant, Knight, Ferdinand, Herbert, Esprit

Ipswich Town possible starting lineup:

Hladky; Donacien, Keogh, Edmundson; Burns, Ball, Morsy, Davis; Chaplin, Harness; Ladapo

We say: Bracknell Town 0-3 Ipswich Town

Given the magnitude of the fixture for Bracknell, we expect the minnows of the competition to throw everything at Ipswich in the early stages. However, the gulf in class should tell at some stage, leading us to predict a comfortable evening for the Tractor Boys.

Previews by email