Boss George Burley admitted: ‘‘It may be a little bit early to throw him in straight away.

‘‘Finidi is an excellent player with great qualities. He is a fantastic professional and his return will be a big boost for everybody.

‘‘I bought him to give us width and score goals. When he is fully fit he will be a great addition to our team.’’

Burley believes he has the squad he needs to save the club from relegation, and named Iceland captain Hermann Hreidarsson as an example of a player with the spirit required.

‘‘Hermann’s commitment and attitude is second to none. He is a tremendous competitor and this season has been no exception.

‘‘He will play a big part to help us out of trouble. It is great to have him at the club and he is one to get the other players going.’’

Burley is well aware of the quality of Arsenal. He said: ‘‘They are one of the leading club sides in the world.

‘‘They have a wealth of talent and Patrick Vieira is one of the best midfield players around. Thierry Henry is a tremendous scorer and Sol Campbell is one of the best defenders.

‘‘Last season we competed well against Arsenal and we must work hard to stop them playing.

‘‘There is more pressure on the players this season so far as performance levels are concerned.

‘‘Last season we started odds-on to go down and finishing 17th would have been considered a tremendous achievement. This season we have thrown away valuable points but we have a strong group of players who are going to pull us out of our problems.

‘‘We must battle away and work hard in the belief we can pick up the points. We need to relax the players to enable them to express themselves. We have plenty of time but we must be solid at the back and show more belief in front of goal.

‘‘Our fans appreciate what has happened to the club over the past six years, not just in the past three or four months.

‘‘European football has provided a lot of excitement and our supporters have been enjoying it.

‘‘Now we face a big challenge but everyone is behind the club willing us to push up the table.

‘‘We knew the second year in the Premiership would be harder. Opposition teams are more aware of us.

‘‘Last season they were more open but now they try to catch us on the break at Portman Road. We have made some elementary mistakes and been punished for them. It is a ruthless league.’’

Ipswich are still without leading scorer Marcus Stewart whose fractured jaw will keep him sidelined for another six weeks. Also missing are Ulrich Le Pen (cut foot) and Jim Magilton (thigh strain).

Town will be boosted by the return of three players who were rested from the 4-1 midweek Worthington Cup defeat at Newcastle because of slight niggles. Mark Venus, Titus Bramble and Sixto Peralta all return.

Marcus Bent, signed last week from Blackburn, will make his home debut after being ineligible for the Worthington Cup tie.

With Alun Armstrong rated 50/50 because of a sore hamstring, it could be that Marcus Bent will team up with 17-year-old Darren Bent, who scored his first senior goal at Newcastle on Tuesday night.