Pep Guardiola will want a return to winning ways after yet another setback as Manchester City travel to relegation battlers Ipswich Town.
Kieran McKenna will know the importance of every point in the second half of the campaign, and he will want to take advantage of every presentable opportunity. Ipswich Town do have a huge task on home soil as they host reigning champions Manchester City, and the manager will demand a solid performance from his players.
The difficulty of climbing out of the relegation zone is what Ipswich Town are experiencing at the moment, and the difficulty of their next few fixtures cannot be undermined. Much like earlier in the season, the Tractor Boys face Manchester City and Liverpool in consecutive games, as they will be deemed underdogs in those games.
On Thursday, they were undone by Brighton & Hove Albion at Portman Road, which did halt their three-game unbeaten run. Since the defeat to Arsenal at the end of December, Ipswich Town went unbeaten in three games across all competitions, including a win over Chelsea in the league and beating Bristol Rovers to advance in the FA Cup.
Pep Guardiola has looked cheerful in recent weeks as his Manchester City side have certainly shown an improvement in their form following a dismal period where they had one victory in 13 games across all competition. They subsequently won three games on the bounce across all competitions, including league wins over Leicester City and West Ham, as well as an 8-0 thrashing of Salford City in the FA Cup.
However, earlier this week, they were pegged back by a resurgent Brentford side, which may have brought back some painful memories from recent weeks. After a brace from Phil Foden, it felt like the three points were in the bag for Manchester City, only for the Bees to stage a dramatic comeback and level the scores in second-half injury time through Yoanne Wissa and Christian Norgaard.
It was a blow for Manchester City in their quest to get back among the top order, as the gap between them and leaders Liverpool is still enormous by their standards. The current objective for Guardiola would be to aim for a top-four spot, although they are capable of going on a big run to put themselves back into the title conversation.
Team News & Tactics
Ipswich Town
Despite their loss to Brighton & Hove Albion, Kieran McKenna must have seen some bright displays from his players, including Omari Hutchinson and Nathan Broadhead, with the pair set to continue in the attacking setup. Ipswich Town are missing some first-team stars like Axel Tuanzebe, Conor Chaplin, Sammie Szmodics and Chiedozie Obgene ahead of this clash on Sunday.
New signing Jaden Philogene might be involved in some capacity, although the winger is not expected to start against Manchester City and could settle for a place on the bench. Luke Woolfenden and Jacob Greaves are expected to sit back in central defence, with Dara O’Shea moving to a right-back slot, with Leif Davis on the left.
Samy Morsy and Jens Cajuste will feature in the Ipswich midfield, with Hutchinson in the advanced role. Wes Burns and Broadhead will assume wide attacking roles in the Ipswich attacking setup, with former Manchester City man Liam Delap leading the line for the Tractor Boys.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Walton; O’Shea, Woolfenden, Greaves, Davis; Morsy, Cajuste; Burns, Hutchinson, Broadhead; Delap
Manchester City
The big boost for Manchester City leading up to this game has been the unprecedented long-term deal signed by Erling Haaland, which more than secures his future at the club. As for the absentees, Oscar Bobb, Rodri, and Ruben Dias are the only players missing from action.
Pep Guardiola will assess John Stones before the game before deciding on the defender, although he may not be risked even if he shows signs of playing from the start. Hence, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake are pencilled in to start this one in central defence. Josko Gvardiol and Rico Lewis will continue in the full-back areas.
Veteran Kyle Walker is unlikely to play after expressing his desire to leave the team in this window. In what may resemble a similar setup to the Brentford game, Mateo Kovacic will sit at the base as the lone midfielder, while Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne will take up more advanced roles.
Phil Foden will once again start in a wide role on the right, with Savinho doing the same on the other flank, as Haaland leads the line and will aim to score with regularity.
Probable Lineup (4-1-4-1): Ortega; Lewis, Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol; Kovacic; Foden, Silva, De Bruyne, Savinho; Haaland
Key Stats
- Manchester City have only one victory in their last seven away games in the Premier League.
- Manchester City have scored at least two goals in their last three matches in the Premier League.
- Manchester City last did the double over Ipswich Town back in the 1994/95 season.
- Ipswich Town have lost five and have one draw in their last six Premier League games against the reigning champions.
- Erling Haaland is vying to become the second player to score a Premier League hat-trick home and away against the same opponent in a season, with Emmanuel Adebayor doing so for Arsenal versus Derby County in 2007/08.
Player to Watch
Erling Haaland
New contracts often have players fired up for their next games, and Ipswich Town could face the wrath of a recharged Haaland ahead of their clash with Manchester City. The Norwegian committed to an unprecedented nine-and-a-half-year contract at the club, which all but killed any transfer speculation surrounding his future at the Etihad.
The game against Ipswich Town could not have come at a better time for Haaland to show his joy, as his track record against the Premier League’s bottom side is pretty impressive. He will hope to have a goal or two in this clash, as he is currently playing catch-up to Mohamed Salah in the race for the Golden Boot.
Prediction
Ipswich Town 1-2 Manchester City
Ipswich Town have endured an inconsistent season so far, which is not out of the ordinary for any newly-promoted side. However, they have produced some good performances, much like the one against Chelsea in recent weeks, which will instil some level of confidence in the manager and player to get something from this clash against Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola will not want his team to go on another bad run, and that result against Brentford did have some demoralising elements. However, he will have a squad capable enough to overcome a team like Ipswich Town and return to winning ways, as Manchester City are expected to take all three points, albeit by a narrow margin. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Guardiola and his charges.
