The Championship promotion race took another turn on Tuesday night, as Ipswich Town lost one of their games in hand away to relegation-threatened Portsmouth.
Ipswich face out-of-form Middlesbrough at Portman Road on Sunday, but you get the impression that the defeat at Fratton Park would have given Kim Hellberg’s team a mental lift, as they might re-enter the promotion race with a streak-ending victory.
Despite spending the majority of the season in the top two, Boro enters the weekend in fifth place following a six-game winless streak. A win today, however, would bring them level with Ipswich, despite Kieran McKenna’s side still having a game in hand on them.
It’s been a long time coming, but now that it’s almost here, these 11 players will be unable to participate.
11Wes Burns
Ipswich’s absentee list is shorter than Middlesbrough’s and, maybe, less crucial in terms of key first-team players.
Wes Burns is Kieran McKenna’s greatest absentee this weekend, with the 31-year-old set to miss his fifth consecutive game due to a calf injury incurred during the Sheffield Wednesday trip last month.
McKenna acknowledged in his news conference prior to the Boro game that he had experienced a little setback in his recuperation.
10 David Button
David Button, Ipswich’s third-choice shot-stopper, has been missing for more than two months due to a calf ailment.
The 37-year-old has not made a senior appearance for the Tractor Boys since joining from Reading in the summer, and even if he is available, he is unlikely to play against Middlesbrough.
9 Conor Townsend
Conor Townsend, who suffered an ACL injury in preseason against French club Auxerre, has also yet to play this season.
The 33-year-old has made just 10 appearances for Ipswich since joining from West Brom in the summer of 2024.
8 Ashley Young
Ashley Young was revealed to be back in training ahead of the East Anglian Derby against Norwich City last week, over three months after sustaining a “significant” hip injury.
The 40-year-old hasn’t been included in matchday squads since, and considering the significance of Sunday’s game, there may be some trepidation in putting him back in the lineup so soon.
7 Hayden Hackney
Middlesbrough may still be without star midfielder Hayden Hackney, who sustained a calf injury in the final stages of their draw with Bristol City last month.
Kim Hellberg had anticipated that the 23-year-old would be able to return for the Millwall game on Good Friday, but this has not been the case. During the pre-match press conference for the Ipswich game, the Swedish manager declined to answer questions about his availability.We’ll see; hopefully, everyone is improving,” he remarked.
6 Morgan Whittaker
Similarly, Boro fans will be watching with bated breath to see if top scorer Morgan Whittaker can return to Portman Road after suffering an ankle injury in a 1-0 defeat to Charlton Athletic in March.
Hellberg’s response to the Hackney availability issue was a broad one about the availability of the present injured bunch, so “we’ll see” if he’ll be ready by Sunday lunchtime.
5Alex Bangura
Alex Bangura will also be assessed late by Kim Hellberg and his crew before the trip to Portman Road, having missed the Portsmouth defeat due to a muscle injury received early on against Swansea City on Easter Monday.
That was the 26-year-old’s first start since January 4th, when he was substituted early in a 4-0 win against Southampton, forcing him to miss more than two months of play.
Hopefully, the full-back, who has had his fair share of injury problems at the Riverside, will not be out for too long after this latest setback.
4Jeremy Sarmiento
Jeremy Sarmiento, who played a key role in Ipswich’s promotion to the Premier League two years ago, will most likely be unable to return to Portman Road this weekend after being forced off at halftime against Portsmouth last weekend.
Hellberg remarked after the game, “He had a hit on his knee, actually, so I think it was a combination that he couldn’t get through.”
The 23-year-old is a doubt for the weekend, but he is not anticipated to be out for long.
3Alfie Jones
Alfie Jones, a centre-back, will miss the entire 2026 season due to an ankle injury sustained on Boxing Day versus Blackburn Rovers.
There is hope that the Canadian may return before the conclusion of the season, but he has yet to appear in a matchday squad since his injury, so he is unlikely to return this weekend.
2Leo Castledine
Leo Castledine is yet to make an impact at the Riverside despite joining from Chelsea for £1 million in the January transfer window, following a promising first half of the season at League One club Huddersfield Town.
After missing little over a month earlier in 2026, the 20-year-old has missed the last three games due to a muscular issue.
1Darragh Lenihan
Darragh Lenihan has had a rough year, missing since the September draw with Preston North End due to an Achilles injury.
The Irishman is no longer a member of Boro’s 25-man EFL squad and is expected to leave the club at the end of the season when his contract expires.
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