Rotherham United's hope over Chiedozie Ogbene and Lee Peltier as they prepare to face old boy Freddie Ladapo and Ipswich Town in the FA Cup

The Millers are in third-round action at Ipswich Town on Saturday and attacker Chiedozie Ogbene and centre-half Lee Peltier may be fit to return after ankle and hip issues respectively.

The trio sidelined by muscle tears, central defender Grant Hall and strike duo Georgie Kelly and Tom Eaves, have no chance of featuring.

Ogbene hurt his ankle against Huddersfield Town on December 29 and sat out the New Year's  Day trip to Millwall while Peltier hasn’t played since the Boxing Day draw with Stoke City.

“With Chieo, it will depend if his ankle settles down,” manager Taylor said. “It’s day to day on that one.

“He was still pretty sore on Sunday, which is why he wasn’t involved at Millwall.

“Lee has probably got a chance.”

Taylor is a real admirer of 36-year-old Peltier who joined Rotherham in the summer following a long, successful career at clubs like Huddersfield, Leeds United, Cardiff City and Middlesbrough.

“His absence has been a real shame because he is everything I like in a player: the way he approaches a game, his tenacity, his aggression, his attitude,” the boss said.

“He constantly takes responsibility for everything he is part of. He’s a big influence on the group and we’ve really missed him.”

Kelly (calf), Hall (hamstring) and Eaves (hamstring) are targeting comebacks this month but remain out of consideration for now.

“None of the players with muscular injuries will be available on Saturday,” Taylor confirmed.

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ROTHERHAM United will come up against old boy Freddie Ladapo this weekend for the first time since the striker’s summer departure from AESSEAL New York Stadium.

The Championship Millers released their record signing at the end of his  deal, choosing not to take out their option to extend it by a further year after an uneasy five months following his January transfer request.

The 29-year-old moved to League One Ipswich Town who are Rotherham’s FA Cup opponents on Saturday at Portman Road.

Ladapo, a £400,000 buy from Plymouth Argyle in 2018, scored 41 times in 123 appearances for the Millers.

He has hit the target at a similar rate for the Tractor Boys and in 30 games has managed ten goals, six of which have come in his last 11 outings.

He came on as a second-half substitute in Town’s 1-1 draw at Lincoln City on Monday.

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OPPOSITION boss Kieran McKenna is relishing the chance to take on Rotherham United in the FA Cup.

The Irishman has guided Ipswich Town into a promotion spot in League One and believes that a test against a team from the division above will be a telling step in their development.

“It’s nice to have a Championship club,” he said. “Rotherham are a real challenge for us. The game will be a good marker for the progress we have made and want to keep on making.”

The Tractor Boys go into Saturday’s FA Cup third round clash after third-tier away fixtures at Portsmouth and Lincoln City.

“It’s nice to be at home,” McKenna said. “We’ll try everything to be in the hat for the next round.”

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One to watch

CONOR Chaplin is Ipswich’s top scorer this season having hit the target 12 times in 28 appearances. The former Barnsley man left Oakwell to join the Tractor Boys in the summer of 2021. Now aged 25, the attacker began his career at Portsmouth and has also played for Coventry City.

Form guide

Ipswich: DWLWD

Millers: DLLDLL

Ipswich followed up a 3-0 home win over Oxford United and a 2-2 draw at Portsmouth with a 1-1 draw at Lincoln City on Monday.

Last time out

After a wobble in their form, Rotherham United beat Ipswich 1-0 at New York Stadium in April last year and reignited their League One promotion bid. Michael Smith scored a 78th-minute winner and the Millers clinched their place in the Championship a fortnight later at Gillingham.

Recent meetings

Nov 23 2021, League One:

Ipswich 0 Millers 2 (Ben Wiles, Shane Ferguson)

Jan 28 2020, League One:

Millers 1 (Richard Wood) Ipswich 0

Oct 23 2019, League One:

Ipswich 0 Millers 2 (Matt Crooks 2)

Jan 12 2019, Championship:

Ipswich 1 Millers 0

Aug 11 2018, Championship:

Millers 1 (Michael Smith) Ipswich 0

Apr 22 2017, Championship:

Millers 1 (Tom Adeyemi) Ipswich 0

Oct 29 2016, Championship:

Ipswich 2 Millers 2 (Danny Ward 2)

Thirty-six contests between the clubs since 1954 have produced 13 wins for Rotherham, 15 victories for Ipswich and eight draws.

Opposition boss

Kieran McKenna turned to coaching when a hip injury forced him to retire from playing at the age of just 22 when he was an untried youngster with Tottenham Hotspur. He worked in the youth set-ups at Spurs and Manchester United before becoming assistant manager under Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford. The 36-year-old took the top job at Ipswich in December 2021 and has led the Tractor Boys into League One’s top three this term.

Man in the middle

Sebastian Stockbridge  was last in charge of a Millers game at Wembley last April when Rotherham lifted Papa Johns Trophy silverware against Sutton United. The Tyne & Wear official has shown 42 yellow cards and three reds in 19 games this season.

The odds

The bookmakers are tipping League One to get the better of the Championship, offering Ipswich at 8/11 to make the fourth round and the Millers at 10/3. The draw (after 90 minutes) is 14/5.

Ipswich:

1-0: 7/1

2-0: 8/1

2-1: 13/2

3-0: 12/1

3-1: 11/1

3-2: 14/1

4-0: 25/1

4-1: 20/1

4-2: 35/1

Draw:

0-0: 12/1

1-1: 6/1

2-2: 11/1

3-3: 45/1

4-4: 200/1

Millers:

1-0: 12/1

2-0: 20/1

2-1: 12/1

3-0: 45/1

3-1: 25/1

3-2: 25/1

4-0: 125/1

4-1: 80/1

4-2: 90/1