Leeds United will be seeking their first win of the season in their fourth game of the campaign against Ipswich Town.
Leeds United have endured a turbulent start to their Championship campaign and will now travel to Ipswich Town seeking to secure their first win of the season at the fourth time of asking.
Daniel Farke’s men have a measly two points to show from the first three games, leaving them flirt more with relegation than the promised land of securing Premier League promotion. Unless the slide is addressed quickly, there is every reason to believe their stay in the second tier could become a semi-permanent situation.
In many ways, Leeds hoped to be where Ipswich are today, at the top of the standings. The Blues are just one of two sides in the league with a 100 percent win record and have won all of their matches across all competitions so far this season.
It has been a fantastic start to the campaign for Kieran McKenna’s men, who won promotion from the third tier only last season. In many ways, they can be seen as a team on the rise while Leeds appear to be going the opposite direction.
It promises to be an intriguing contest at Portman Road and could prove to be a defining moment in both teams’ fortunes this season as the Championship table takes shape.ย The Hard Tackle looks at how both sides could line up on the night and what tactics they might implement.
Team News & Tactics
Ipswich Town
๐๏ธ More than 29,000 tickets have been sold for Saturday's home game with Leeds United.
A small number of hospitality tickets, which come with a range of benefits, remain available. #itfc
— Ipswich Town (@IpswichTown) August 24, 2023
Christian Walton is ruled out with an injury, but Ipswich have an otherwise fully fit squad at their disposal. Kieran McKenna has played the same first XI in Ipswich’s first three league games and has little need to make changes.
With home support to boot, the Blues will be keen to pull through with their momentum and solidify their spot at the top of the table. A 4-2-3-1 formation appears to be the go to solution once again with Vaclav Hladky in goal.
He will be protected by the back four of Leif Davis, Cameron Burgess, Luke Woolfenden and Janoi Donacien. Brandon Williams recently completed a loan switch to the Portman Road Stadium but is likely to start on the bench this weekend.
Massimo Luongo and Sam Morsy should form the double picot in midfield with the trio of Nathan Broadhead, Conor Chaplin and Wes Burns playing further upfield. Former Leicester City star George Hirst will lead the line, hoping to keep Ipswich ahead of the Foxes in the early season race for the top.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Hladky; Davis, Burgess, Woolfenden, Donacien; Luongo, Morsy; Broadhead, Chaplin, Burns; Hirst
Leeds United
Daniel Farke has endured a difficult start to life at Elland Road and now faces an uphill task to make up for lost ground. The momentum gained from their opening day comeback against Cardiff has all but evaporated with several questions now asked of a Leeds roster that was chasing promotion.
The Elland Road outfit’s task was never easy given the key departures and injury issues heading into the campaign. The latter remains a pestering issue with several players still on the sidelines.
Leeds will be without Liam Cooper, Stuart Dallas, Patrick Bamford, Junior Firpo and Crysencio Summerville. Leo Hjelde is a doubt for the game, while Wilfried Gnonto has apologised for his antics and is in contention to be brought back into the fold. This is good news for a Leeds side struggling for goals at the moment.
๐ ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐'๐ ๐ด๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ: "For us, we are concentrating on bringing the same level of performance like we did in the last home game. If we are more efficient in both boxes this time, then we have a good opportunity to bring back the points." pic.twitter.com/MlKevkiGc2
— Leeds United (@LUFC) August 24, 2023
Given the players available, Farke is likely to deploy his side in a 4-2-3-1 formation that will be keen to keep things tight at the back. Illan Meslier will be the last line of defence and should expect a busy night against a buzzing Ipswich frontline.
A flat back four appears to be in the offing, with Sam Byram and Luke Ayling providing width down the flanks. Tottenham Hotspur loanee Joe Rodon should partner Pascal Struijk at centre-back.
Youngster Archie Gray should repritse his role in the double pivot alongside summer signing Ethan Ampadu, providing a protection layer to the backline. Daniel James and Jamie Shackleton will start out wide with Joe Gelhardt playing in the pocket.
Georginio Rutter is expected to lead the line, with Gnonto coming off the bench sometime in the game. New signing Joel Piroe could also be included on the bench should he be deemed ready. Gray could also be taken off for either Gnonto or Piroe should Leeds trail going into the final part of the match.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Meslier; Byram, Rodon, Struijk, Ayling; Gray, Ampadu; James, Gelhardt, Shackleton; Rutter
Key Stats
- The last time that the away team prevailed in a league clash between Leeds United and Ipswich Town was when the latter came away with a 1-0 win at Elland Road in 2005.
- A win on the night will see Ipswich Town win their first four games of the season for just the fourth time in Football League history.
- Leeds United are currently on a six-game losing streak away from home in the league. This is their worst such run since 1993.
- Ipswich Town have won nine of their last 12 home games.
Player to Watch
Conor Chaplin
The Ipswich Town star is on a hot streak at the moment, making 12 goal contributions in his last 12 league games. He will be in top spirits this weekend having opened his goals tally for the campaign against Queens Park Rangers last time around. The 75th-minute winner saw Ipswich retain their perfect start to the campaign and pip Leicester City to the top spot in the Championship.
The 26-year-old scored 26 times last season and was Ipswich’s beating heart as they won promotion to the second tier. Once he gets going, Leeds could struggle to stifle his attacking instincts
Prediction
Ipswich Town 2-1 Leeds United
An Ipswich Town win over Leeds United appeared impossible heading into the season. But it is funny what a few weeks of football can do both to momentum and expectations. Daniel Farke’s teams are not renowned for their defensive solidity and this should see Ipswich enjoy some joy going forward.
Leeds have become somewhat of draw specialists in recent times. But given the players missing and the lack of confidence coursing through the side, Ipswich should secure all three points, maintaining their perfect start to the campaign.
