Preview: Leeds United vs. Ipswich Town

Ipswich Town can put another East Anglian derby defeat behind them when they travel North to face Leeds United in the Championship tomorrow.

Mick McCarthy's Blues lost against arch rivals Norwich City for the fourth time in a row, the first time in the dual's history that this has happened, by going down 2-0 at Carrow Road in one of the more significant derbies in recent memory.

The result saw Norwich leapfrog Ipswich in the top six, climbing from sixth to third as Ipswich now occupy the final playoff spot, five points behind league leaders Derby County in a jam-packed promotion race.

With seventh-placed Brentford, whom Ipswich face after Leeds on Saturday, two points behind and hosting Huddersfield Town tonight, McCarthy's men could be out of the top six by kickoff at Elland Road tomorrow.

Striker David McGoldrick, who has scored five goals in four appearances against Leeds for Ipswich, won't be available and McCarthy today revealed that he expects the Irish international to return in next weekend's trip to Middlesbrough.

Ipswich still possess the league's top scorer by four goals in Daryl Murphy, but the Irishman has gone three games without a goal - his longest barren run since August.

With Murphy going off the boil, McCarthy will be considering whether to give recent loan signing Chris Wood his first start after he came off the bench at the end of Sunday's defeat at Carrow Road.

Mid-table Leeds, meanwhile, have lost back-to-back games after suffering defeat just once in their first eight league matches of 2015, including three wins in a row before the recent slide.

On Saturday they took a 2-0 lead at home to one of Ipswich's playoff rivals, Watford, but slumped to a 3-2 loss as the Hornets rallied back to steal the points.

Rodolph Austin put the Whites two up with a spectacular dipping volley, but then had to come off injured in the second half and it has since been revealed that he could miss up to three weeks with a thigh strain.

Leeds boss Neil Redfearn is boosted by the return from suspension of Giuseppe Bellusci, and striker Steve Morison is also hoping to be in contention once more.

Bellusci is the more likely of the two to return as Leeds let in five goals in the last two defeats after keeping three straight clean sheets.

Leeds haven't suffered defeat at home to Ipswich in five games - a run dating back almost 10 years - but they were heavily beaten 4-1 in the December reverse at Portman Road.

Both sides have won three and lost three in their last six games.

Leeds:

Recent form: LWWWLL

Possible starting lineup: Silvestri; Wootton, Bellusci, Bamba, C.Taylor; Murphy, Cook; Byram, Sloth, Mowatt; Morison

Ipswich:

Recent form: LWWLWL

Possible starting lineup: Bialkowski; Chambers, Smith, Berra, Mings; Skuse, Anderson, Parr, Bru; Wood, Murphy

Sports Mole says: 1-1