Kieran McKenna expects a brave display from Ipswich when they travel to Manchester City to play what he brands "the toughest game in world football."
McKenna saw plenty to like in their season opening 2-0 loss to Liverpool, and remains confident the Tractor Boys will dig deep when they face another tough test against the top-flight title holders.
"Two years ago we played against Forest Green away," McKenna told the club website.
"We spoke about that in the build-up to the season, the build-up to the Liverpool game, the journey we've been on and how incredible that’s been.
"I’m sure the fans are proud of that, probably some of them who had done that journey can enjoy this journey a little bit more on Saturday.
"We know what has been done, we know it can never be changed, it can never be taken back but we are looking forward.
"It’s a new season, it’s a new group to certain elements. So many of the boys have been on that journey but there’s also new players here and it’s about what’s ahead of us now.
"It’s about the next challenge, and we’ve got probably the toughest game in world football ahead of us.
"So, it doesn’t matter where we were last year or two years ago, it’s about where we’re going on Saturday, what we show of ourselves, and that’s where all of the focus has been."
McKenna will not have Manchester City loanee Kalvin Phillips at his disposal as the midfielder is ineligible to play against his parent club.
Winger Wes Burns is set for a number of weeks on the sidelines after sustaining a hamstring injury against Liverpool, while goalkeeper Arjanet Muric trained independently on Thursday and faces a late fitness test due to his calf problem.
Midfielder Jens Cajuste could also be involved after joining Town on loan from Napoli earlier this week.
McKenna hopes Town can keep up the "core essence" of a Liverpool performance in which he felt his men were "really brave on and off the ball", particularly for what was also their first game of the season.
He is well aware that possession will be even harder to come by against Guardiola’s group, but nevertheless feels the Tractor Boys are as prepared as they can be.
McKenna added: "The scale of the challenge has changed.
"There’s been a lot of work that has gone into it, of course with Man City probably more things to look at than most teams, but it’s been a really good process.
"The players have taken the information on well and they’re looking forward to the challenge.
"Of course it’s going to be a difficult game in certain elements, but it’s a challenge we’re looking to go take on and give a really good account of ourselves and see if we can get a positive result."
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
