Ipswich Town will host Everton at Portman Road on Saturday, eager to pick up their first Premier League win of the season.
Ipswich Town are yet to pick up a single victory in the Premier League, and they are one of the favourites to go down the season, with Saturday’s game featuring another relegation contenders, Everton.
Meanwhile, Everton are unbeaten in their last three league games, and they will look to put together a positive run now. The Toffees will certainly fancy their chances against Ipswich, and it remains to be seen whether the visitors can grind out all three points.
Ipswich have an impressive record against Everton, and it will be interesting to see if they can bounce back from their disappointing run form with a positive result at home here. Everton are certainly a beatable team and the home fans will expect a strong reaction from the players. Both teams are quite evenly matched, and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top.
Team News & Tactics
Ipswich Town
Janoi Donacien misses out with a groin issue, while Massimo Luongo has an ankle injury and Axel Tuanzebe misses out with a hand injury.
Ipswich Town will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Everton, with Arijanet Muric in goal. Ben Johnson and Leif Davis will start as the full-backs here, and they will look to keep things compact at the back and hit Everton on the break. Luke Woolfenden and Jacob Greaves will start at the heart of the defence.
Samy Morsy and Jack Taylor will start in the midfield double pivot, and they will look to protect the back four and break up opposition attacks. Wes Burns and Omari Hutchinson will look to add goals and creativity to the side from the wide areas.
Conor Chaplin will start in the central attacking midfield role, and he will look to open up the Everton defence with his passing and vision. Finally, Liam Delap will lead the line for Ipswich Town against Everton.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Muric; Johnson, Woolfenden, Greaves, Davis; Morsy, Taylor; Burns, Chaplin, Hutchison; Delap
Everton
Everton will be without Armando Broja because of a calf injury, Youssef Chermiti due to an ankle issue. Tim Iroegbunam has an ankle injury, Nathan Patterson misses out with fitness concerns, and James Garner has a lower back issue.
The Toffees will shape up in a 4-4-1-1 formation, with Jordan Pickford in goal. Seamus Coleman and Vitaliy Mykolenko will start as the full-backs. They will look to protect the central defenders and help out in the attack. James Tarkowski will form the central defensive pairing alongside Jarrad Branthwaite.
Jack Harrison and Dwight McNeil will start in the wide areas. They will look to add pace and flair from the flanks. Abdoulaye Doucoure and Idrissa Gueye will start in the midfield, and they will look to add defensive cover and drive to the side. Beto will feature as the central attacking midfielder, behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who will lead the line for Everton against Ipswich.
Probable Lineup (4-4-1-1): Pickford; Coleman, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Harrison, Doucoure, Gueye, McNeil; Beto; Calvert-Lewin
Key Stats
- Ipswich Town have failed to win their last ten matches in the Premier League.
- Ipswich Town have won just one of their last 19 Premier League games.
- Everton have picked up just one win from the last seven Premier League matches.
- Everton have lost four of the last seven Premier League matches.
- Ipswich Town are unbeaten in the last four meetings against Everton.
Player to Watch
Jarrad Branthwaite
Everton have been quite vulnerable at the back of the season, and they need to stay organised to grind out important points. Jarrad Branthwaite is our key player to watch out for this weekend. He will look to keep things compact at the back and keep the Ipswich attack in check. A strong defensive foundation could help Everton create more goalscoring opportunities and eke out a victory here.
Prediction
Ipswich Town 1-1 Everton
Both teams will be desperate for all three points here, and this is likely to be a close contest. Neither side are in particularly good form right now, and they will look to take a cautious approach. They will not want to end up on the losing side. The two sides could end up cancelling each other out and sharing the spoils in a 1-1 draw.