Town have made seven changes for this afternoon’s FA Cup third round tie against Blackpool at Portman Road with Wes Burns making his first start since returning from injury and Ashley Young skippering for the first time.

Young, an FA Cup winner with Manchester United and the oldest player ever to captain the Blues, looks set to start at left-back with Ben Johnson at right-back and Jacob Greaves and Cedric Kipre the centre-halves. Alex Palmer is in goal for the first time since returning from his calf injury.

Azor Matusiwa continues in central midfield alongside Jack Taylor with, from the right, Burns, Jack Clarke and Jaden Philogene the trio behind number nine Chuba Akpom.

Leif Davis, Sindre Walle Egeli and Marcelino Nunez drop to the bench, while Christian Walton, Dara O’Shea, Darnell Furlong and Jens Cajuste are left out of the squad.

Sammie Szmodics is on the bench having returned to training this week after illness over Christmas, while David Button, former Tangerines loanee Elkan Baggott and Fin Barbrook all come into the squad.

League One Blackpool’s head coach Ian Evatt, one of two Seasiders sent off when the teams last met in the FA Cup in 2010 when Town won 2-1 at Bloomfield Road, bring former Blues midfielder Lee Evans and long-serving winger CJ Hamilton into their XI, while Josh Bowler and Scott Banks drop to the bench.

Town: Palmer, Johnson, Kipre, Greaves, Young (c), Matusiwa, Taylor, Burns, Clarke, Philogene, Akpom. Subs: Button, Baggott, Davis, Barbrook, Nunez, McAteer, Walle Egeli, Szmodics, Azon.

Blackpool: Peacock-Farrell, Lyons, Casey, Ashworth, Imray, Evans, Morgan, Honeyman (c), Hamilton, Bloxham, Fletcher. Subs: Ravizzoli, Nwankwo, Brown, Upton, Knight, Finnigan, Bowler, Banks, Ennis. Referee: Thomas Parsons (Rochdale).

Photo: Matchday Images