Ipswich Town will hope to catch Premier League side Fulham off guard in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.
Premier League side Fulham will travel to Portman Road Stadium on Wednesday night to face Ipswich Town, knowing full well that a spot in the quarter finals of the Carabao Cup is theirs to lose.
Marco Silva’s side are the only side to get the better of Tottenham Hotspur this season. While technically, Spurs are yet unbeaten in a game lasting 90 minutes, the Cottagers’ win over them in the previous round on penalties is the only blemish on Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs CV so far.
Ipswich Town, on the other hand, are also enjoying a fine campaign in the second tier of English football. Kieran McKenna’s men are in second spot in the EFL Championship, five points off leaders Leicester City with a game in hand.
The Tractor Boys will be keen to keep up their efforts to secure promotion to the Premier League. But the EFL Cup presents with itself a fine distraction. This is the first time since the 2010/11 season that Ipswich have gotten to the fourth round and will fancy their chances with home support in boot.
Having beaten Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers last time around, Ipswich will go into the clash with confidence. Fulham will be a far more formidable side than the Molineux outfit. But the home side could make use of momentum to their benefit. The Hard Tackle looks at how both sides could line up on Sunday and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
Ipswich Town
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— Ipswich Town (@IpswichTown) October 29, 2023
The Championship side have never won the competition in their history, falling at the semifinal hurdle four times. The most recent of them came in 2010/11 when they fell to Arsenal 3-1 on aggregate.
Kieran McKenna will be wary of losing momentum should Ipswich Town succumb to defeat on the night. With a spot in the last eight up for grabs, Portman Road will be buzzing. The Championship side is a happy place to be at right now, and it shows.
The Tractor Boys have won 14 of their 16 games in all competitions this season. Having only come up from League One, they are unfazed by the challenge and should once again take the game to their illustrious opponents.
Lee Evans is out injured for the home side. He picked up a booking against Wolves and would have sat the game out owing to suspension, even if he had been fit. He could be joined by Elkan Baggott who is nursing a back issue.
It is not all bad news as McKenna will welcome back Freddie Ladapo and Axel Tuanzebe, both of who made the bench against Plymouth Argyle. They were unused substitutes on the night and it remains to be seen if they will get minutes this time around.
The 4-2-3-1 formation is likely to be retained with Vaclav Hladky in goal. He should be protected by the back four of Harry Clarke, George Edmundson, Luke Woolfenden and Brandon Williams.
Jack Taylor and Sam Morsy should form the double picot, providing the trio of Marcus Harness, Omari Hutchinson and Freddie Ladapo the freedom to push forward. George Hirst found the back of the net at the weekend and should retain his spot upfront.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Hladky; Clarke, Edmundson, Woolfenden, Williams; Morsy, Taylor; Harness, Hutchinson, Ladapo; Hirst
Fulham
The Cottagers will be upbeat after getting the better of Tottenham in the last round. A trip to Ipswich is unlikely to be easy, and Marco Silva will hope that his side won’t take their foot off the gas like Wolverhampton Wanderers in the third round.
Fulham will be aiming to secure qualification to the last eight of the competition for the first time since 2004/05. The West Londoners have never progressed beyond the quarter-finals of the competition and now have the opportunity to match it on the night.
While Fulham go into the clash on the back of two winless games, they will have cause for optimism given the well earned point at the Amex last weekend. The Premier League side go into the match as favourites and know the onus will be on them to get the job done.
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— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) October 31, 2023
Vinicius was unavailable at the weekend and is far from certain to feature against Ipswich. Adama Traore and Kenny Tete are also out injured, while Issa Diop and Tosin Adarabioyo also remain on the sidelines.
Silva is likely to retain his 4-3-3 formation, with Bernd Leno in goal. He will be protected by the defensive quartet of Timothy Castagne, Calvin Bassey, Tim Ream and Fode Ballo-Toure.
Palhinha will once again be expected to mop up in midfield, giving Tom Cairney and Andreas Pereira the freedom to push forward. Willian and Alex Iwobi should provide the width while Raul Jimenez starting upfront.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Rodak; Castagne, Bassey, Ream, Ballo-Toure; Cairney, Palhinha, Pereira; Willian, Jimenez, Iwobi
Key Stats
- Ipswich Town have lost just one game across all competitions so far this season.
- Fulham are winless in their last two matches across all competitions.
- Neither Ipswich Town nor Fulham have won the League Cup in their history.
- Neither Ipswich Town nor Fulham have made it to the last eight of the League Cup or beyond since 2010/11. Ipswich made it to the last four that season, losing to Arsenal 3-1 on aggregate.
Player to Watch
Joao Palhinha
The Portuguese ace is Fulham’s go-to man and continues to earn plaudits with some sensational performances in the middle of the park. He scored at the weekend and will be buzzing ahead of the January transfer window in 2024.
An energetic presence in midfield, Palhinha will be the player holding the side together for the visitors. Strong in both attack and defence, the 28-year-old is arguably the biggest difference maker on the field from both sides’ rosters.
Prediction
Ipswich Town 1-2 Fulham
It promises to be an exciting clash between two teams aiming for a win. Ipswich have the home support but Fulham’s experience and now how should balance the deficit out. In the end, the visitors’ strength in depth should see them over the line. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Marco Silva and his charges.
