Manchester United will be desperate to bounce back from the opening-day defeat to Hull City when they host Ipswich Town at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Gameweek 2 of the 2026/27 Premier League season continues on Sunday with four games. The action on the day starts with three simultaneous fixtures before ending with Manchester United vs Ipswich Town at Old Trafford.
Manchester United began the 2026/27 season on the worst note possible, suffering a shock 2-0 defeat to Hull City after producing a listless display. The performance was a continuation of the capitulation against AC Milan in their final pre-season friendly, and Michael Carrick has significant work to do on the training pitch to raise the levels.
On the other hand, Ipswich Town signalled their Premier League return with a typically industrious performance, beating Sunderland 2-1 with a late goal from Jack Clarke. The Tractor Boys followed that up with a 3-1 victory over Leicester City in the EFL Cup second round. Gary O’Neil has clearly made an immediate impact at the club, and the early signs are promising.
The most recent Premier League match featuring Manchester United and Ipswich Town at Old Trafford ended in a 3-2 win for the Red Devils, with Harry Maguire scoring the match-winning goal. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Manchester United
Michael Carrick has received a positive update on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Manchester United head coach may be bereft of the services of only five first-team players vs Ipswich Town on Sunday.
Mason Mount may be fit and available to take on Ipswich after stepping up his recovery from a knock. However, new arrival Carlos Baleba will be unavailable for a few more weeks due to an ankle ligament injury, and he accompanies Karl Darlow (unspecified), Tom Heaton (knock), Matthijs de Ligt (lower back), and Manuel Ugarte in the treatment room.
Senne Lammens is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Manchester United lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Ipswich Town on Sunday. The backline will feature Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez, and Luke Shaw, with Ayden Heaven making way for Martinez after an underwhelming performance against Hull City.
As for the midfield unit, Kobbie Mainoo should replace Andrey Santos as Youri Tielemans’s partner in the double pivot. Bruno Fernandes will reprise the no. 10 role, with Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha being the two wide attackers.
Finally, Benjamin Sesko will lead the line for Manchester United, with Marcus Rashford being a backup option on the bench. Despite only coming on at half-time, no Manchester United player created more chances in Gameweek 1 against Hull City than Rashford (4). Only Morgan Rogers created more chances overall across the Premier League’s opening matchday (5), and Rashford will be eager to reproduce such numbers this weekend.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw; Mainoo, Tielemans; Mbeumo, Bruno Fernandes, Cunha; Sesko
Ipswich Town
Like his counterpart in the Manchester United dugout, Gary O’Neil has received good news ahead of the trip to Old Trafford. The Ipswich Town head coach will be without only three first-team players on Sunday.
Julio Enciso (hamstring) and Florentino Luis (calf) should be fit and available to take on Manchester United after overcoming their minor issues. So, Jack Taylor (knee), Azor Matusiwa (thigh), and Jaden Philogene (ankle) are the only players in the treatment room.
Kjell Scherpen should take his spot between the sticks, with Ipswich Town lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Manchester United on Sunday. The backline will feature Dara O’Shea, Issa Diop, Jacob Greaves, and Leif Davis.
As for the midfield unit, Marcelino Nunez and Sasa Lukic will pair up in the double pivot, with the duo holding the fort in the middle of the park. Julio Enciso will reprise the no. 10 role, pulling the strings from the advanced areas. Finally, Emersonn will spearhead the Ipswich Town attack, with Daizen Maeda and Abdul Fatawu Issahaku completing the numbers in the offensive unit.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Scherpen; O’Shea, Diop, Greaves, Davis; Nunez, Lukic; Fatawu, Enciso, Maeda; Emersonn
Key Stats
- Manchester United are unbeaten in their last eight home league games vs Ipswich Town (W6 D2), winning the last four by an aggregate score of 18-2. Meanwhile, the Tractor Boys are winless in their last seven Premier League games against Man Utd (D2 L5) since a 3-2 home win in September 1994. The first game in this winless run was a 9-0 defeat at Old Trafford in March 1995.
- Manchester United have not lost any of their last 400 home league games when leading at half-time (W365 D35). The last team to beat them were Ipswich Town in May 1984 (2-1).
- Manchester United lost 2-0 to Hull in Gameweek 1; only in 1992/93 and 2022/23 have they lost their opening two Premier League matches in a season. In their league history, the only time they faced defeat in their first two without scoring was in 1933/34.
- Ipswich are looking to start a top-flight season with two successive wins for a fourth time, also doing so in 1974/75 (finished 3rd), 1980/81 (2nd) and 1993/94 (19th).
- Michael Carrick remains winless in all three Premier League meetings with newly promoted clubs (D1 L2). As Manchester United boss, Carrick has a 0.33 points per game record against promoted teams, compared to 2.47 points per game (P17 W13 D3 L1) against non-promoted teams.
Player to Watch
Emersonn
While Bruno Fernandes, Bryan Mbeumo, and Julio Enciso were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Emersonn as the Player to Watch for Sunday’s Premier League clash between Manchester United and Ipswich Town at Old Trafford.
The Brazilian scored on his Premier League debut for Ipswich in their Gameweek 1 win over Sunderland. The last player to find the back of the net in his first two appearances in the competition for the Tractor Boys was Adam Tanner in January 1995. Facing a defensively vulnerable team, his chances of doing a repeat act are high, which earned him a spot in our FPL Top Transfer Tips for Gameweek 2.
Prediction
Manchester United 2-1 Ipswich Town
Michael Carrick’s substandard record against promoted teams as a Premier League manager continued in Gameweek 1, and Ipswich Town will feel they have the ingredients to spring a surprise. However, the Red Devils have been impeccable in their home comforts since Carrick took over earlier this year, and Bruno Fernandes should be in his elements.
While Ipswich will capitalise on Manchester United’s defensive shortcomings, they also have a soft underbelly, which Bruno Fernandes and Bryan Mbeumo should exploit. So, a close contest is on the cards, though Manchester United should secure a hard-fought 2-1 win, preserving their half-time record in the process.
