Ipswich v Charlton

CHINA captain Zheng Zhi looks set to return for Charlton at Ipswich on Saturday after manager Alan Pardew admitted that fatigue had been the reason for his exclusion in Tuesday's 1-0 defeat at Burnley.

It was the first time Zheng had failed to make the starting line-up since his arrival at The Valley last season.

Pardew explained: "We felt he needed a rest after looking at the stats. He covers the top end of 12-13 kilometres and he was down on that on Saturday against Preston.

"With a tough game coming up at Ipswich we felt a rest would be a good tonic for him. We hope to see the benefits of that rest on Saturday.

"He's a great player and so important for us, you don't ever want to leave him out. But sometimes you have to be selective."

Ben Thatcher, who returned to the side for the first time at Burnley since sustaining a thigh injury against Sheffield Wednesday on August 25, looks certain to retain his place at the expense of Kelly Youga.

Read a match report and see pictures from Portman Road on Kent Online on Saturday.