Ipswich Town will be eager to get off the mark in the 2024/25 Premier League season when they host Fulham at Portman Road on Saturday.
Gameweek 3 of the 2024/25 Premier League season kicks off this weekend before we pause for the first international break of the new campaign. The latest round of fixtures gets underway with the game between Arsenal and Brighton & Hove Albion before five simultaneous fixtures follow, including Ipswich Town vs Fulham.
Ipswich Town would have hoped for a better start to life in the Premier League after over two decades than facing a baptism of fire against Liverpool and Manchester City in the first two matchdays. However, despite the daunting task and successive defeats, the Tractor Boys have given a good account of themselves thus far. However, Kieran McKenna must be disappointed with his team’s ouster from the EFL Cup against AFC Wimbledon earlier this week.
Unlike Ipswich Town, Fulham progressed to the EFL Cup third round after beating Birmingham City 2-0 earlier this week. That was the West London club’s second successive victory after beating Leicester City 2-1 last weekend. So, the Cottagers are building momentum after starting the new season with a 1-0 defeat to Manchester United.
Ipswich Town and Fulham clashed last season in the EFL Cup round of 16, with Marco Silva’s charges clinching a straightforward 3-1 win. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Ipswich Town
Kieran McKenna has a few pressing injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Fulham on Saturday, the Ipswich Town manager will be bereft of the services of five first-team players.
Janoi Donacien (groin), Harry Clarke (calf), Wesley Burns (hamstring), George Hirst (knee), and Nathan Broadhead (hamstring) remain on the sidelines. However, McKenna has enough resources to produce a competitive performance on Saturday.
Arijanet Muric should take his spot between the sticks, with Ipswich Town lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Fulham. The backline will likely feature Axel Tuanzebe, Jacob Greaves, Luke Woolfenden, and Leif Davis.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Samy Morsy and Massimo Luongo in the double pivot. Sammie Szmodics should reprise the No. 10 role and continue his impressive start as an Ipswich Town player. Finally, Liam Delap should lead the line for the home side against Fulham, with Jack Clarke and Omari Hutchinson being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Muric; Tuanzebe, Woolfenden, Greaves, Davis; Morsy, Luongo; Clarke, Szmodics, Hutchinson; Delap
Fulham
Unlike his counterpart in the Ipswich Town dugout, Marco Silva does not have any fitness issues to deal with ahead of the trip to Portman Road. The Fulham manager will have a full-strength squad on Saturday.
Silva’s crucial decision will revolve around Joachim Andersen and Sander Berge after the duo made their mark in the EFL Cup second round earlier this week. While the former should start this weekend, the latter might appear off the bench.
Bernd Leno is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Fulham lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Ipswich Town. The backline should feature Kenny Tete, Joachim Andersen, Calvin Bassey, and Antonee Robinson.
As for the midfield unit, Sasa Lukic will likely pair up with Andreas Pereira in the double pivot, with Berge an option on the bench. Emile Smith Rowe should reprise the No. 10 role, with Adama Traore and Alex Iwobi being the two wide attackers. Finally, Rodrigo Muniz should lead the line for the away side against Ipswich Town.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Lukic, Pereira; Traore, Smith Rowe, Iwobi; Muniz
Key Stats
- The only previous Premier League meetings between Ipswich Town and Fulham came in the 2001/02 season, with the Tractor Boys remaining unbeaten against the Cottagers (1-1 away, 1-0 at home). The Cottagers have won their last four league meetings with Ipswich, with Saturday’s clash the first since a 4-1 home win in January 2018. The West London club had been winless in nine league games against the Tractor Boys before this run (D3 L6).
- Ipswich Town have lost their opening two Premier League games this season; only in 1949/50 (third division south), 1956/57 (third division south), and 2006/07 (Championship) have the Tractor Boys lost their opening three matches of a league campaign.
- Ipswich Town have never lost consecutive home league games under Kieran McKenna, with Saturday’s game his 59th at Portman Road. The Tractor Boys last suffered consecutive home losses in January 2021 in League One under Paul Lambert.
- Andreas Pereira has created 13 chances in the Premier League this season, six more than any other player. It is the most by a player in a team’s opening two games in a Premier League season since 2012/13 when Leighton Baines also created 13 chances for Everton.
- Sammie Sam Szmodics scored in his first Premier League start in Gameweek 2, finding the back of the net in their 4-1 defeat to Manchester City. The last Ipswich player to score in his first two Premier League starts was Adam Tanner in January 1995.
Player to Watch
Emile Smith Rowe
Emile Smith Rowe must have been a reluctant mover in the summer transfer window after leaving his boyhood club to join fellow London club Fulham. However, he has taken to life with the Cottagers like a fish to water, almost immediately making his mark for Marco Silva’s team.
Smith Rowe scored his first Premier League goal for Fulham in the 2-1 win over Leicester City last weekend, ending a run of 31 appearances without a strike in the competition. He will aim to score in consecutive games for the first time since finding the back of the net in four appearances in December 2021 for Arsenal. It might be foolish to bet against him repeating what he did last week.
Prediction
Ipswich Town 2-2 Fulham
Ipswich Town might be yet to get off the mark in the 2024/25 season after a disappointing loss to AFC Wimbledon earlier this week. However, the hosts have shown some positive signs and will unlikely start the new campaign with four successive defeats. In addition, the Tractor Boys remain the most enterprising team in the Premier League this term.
On the other hand, Fulham will be no pushovers despite Ipswich Town’s resilient performance on Saturday. Marco Silva’s men will produce another eye-catching display, with Emile Smith Rowe making his mark again. However, there might not be much to separate the two sides, with The Hard Tackle predicting a 2-2 draw at Portman Road.