Ipswich Town vs Southampton: Preview and Prediction

Three points will be of utmost importance when Ipswich Town and Southampton meet at Portman Road on Saturday.

The 2024/25 Premier League season resumes this weekend as Gameweek 24 begins on Saturday. The latest round of fixtures kicks off with the game between Nottingham Forest and Brighton & Hove Albion at City Ground before the action continues with four simultaneous matches, including Ipswich Town vs Southampton at Portman Road.

Ipswich Town and Southampton have struggled for most of the 2024/25 Premier League season, although the Saints have been dreadful throughout the campaign thus far. The visitors have been at the foot of the Premier League table for much of this term.

Russell Martin could not galvanise his troops, and Ivan Juric has not fared much better, either. With Southampton managing only one win and six points in 23 Premier League appearances thus far, only a miracle can help them avoid relegation from the top flight.

As for Ipswich Town, the Tractor Boys have been more resilient than the other promoted teams. However, failure to string a winning streak has been their undoing, with Kieran McKenna’s men losing their last three matches. The run has left the home side second from bottom in the Premier League standings, although they are only a point behind 17th-placed Leicester City.

The reverse fixture saw Ipswich Town come from a goal down to hold Southampton to a 1-1 draw, with captain Samy Morsy rescuing a point for his team. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.

Team News & Tactics

Ipswich Town

Kieran McKenna has a new injury concern hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Ipswich Town manager might be bereft of the services of four first-team players vs Southampton on Saturday.

Wes Burns is the latest absentee, with the experienced forward picking up a long-term knee injury. The Welsh international has joined Chiedozie Ogbene (achilles), Conor Chaplin (knee), and Sammie Szmodics (ankle) on the sidelines. However, Leif Davis should have recovered from an illness to take on Southampton this weekend.

Christian Walton will likely take his spot between the sticks, with Ipswich Town lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Southampton on Saturday. The backline should feature Axel Tuanzebe, Dara O’Shea, Jacob Greaves, and Leif Davis.

As for the midfield unit, Jens Cajuste might get the nod, with the Swedish international lining up alongside Kalvin Phillips in the double pivot. Winter arrival Julio Enciso will likely reprise the no. 10 role, with Jaden Philogene and Omari Hutchinson being the two wide attackers. Finally, Liam Delap will lead the line for Ipswich Town against Southampton.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Walton; Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Greaves, Davis; Phillips, Cajuste; Hutchinson, Enciso, Philogene; Delap

Southampton

Unlike his counterpart in the Ipswich Town dugout, Ivan Juric has greeted positive updates on the team news front ahead of the trip to Portman Road. The Southampton manager will be without only three first-team players on Saturday.

Aaron Ramsdale (knock), Jack Stephens (unspecified), Kamaldeen Sulemana (hamstring), Albert Gronbaek Erlykke (unspecified), and Tyler Dibling (ankle) have resumed training and should at least be in the matchday squad. However, the game has come too soon for Nathan Wood-Gordon and Ryan Fraser, while Ross Stewart is a long-term absentee.

Ramsdale should take his spot between the sticks, with Southampton lining up in a 3-4-1-2 formation in front of him vs Ipswich Town on Saturday. The central defensive unit should feature James Bree, Jan Bednarek, and Taylor Harwood-Bellis. Meanwhile, Yukinari Sugawara and Kyle Walker-Peters will likely start as the two wing-backs.

The wide duo will provide width in the final third and protect the centre-backs during the defensive phases. As for the midfield unit, Joe Aribo and Lesley Ugochukwu will likely pair up in the central areas, while Mateus Fernandes will reprise the no. 10 role. Finally, Adam Armstrong and Paul Onuachu should be the two strikers.

Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Ramsdale; Bree, Bednarek, Harwood-Bellis; Sugawara, Aribo, Ugochukwu, Walker-Peters; Fernandes; Armstrong, Onuachu

Key Stats

  • Ipswich Town are unbeaten in the last four league matches vs Southampton (W2 D2) and won both meetings in the 2023/24 EFL Championship season. However, Southampton’s most recent Premier League game at Portman Road was a 3-1 win in March 2002.
  • Ipswich Town have lost their last three matches by an aggregate score of 12-1. In addition, they have conceded four or more goals in successive Premier League games for the first time. The Tractor Boys have lost eight of their 11 most recent Premier League matches (W2 D1), keeping one clean sheet in their last 19 top-flight fixtures.
  • Southampton are in danger of losing seven consecutive league games for the first time in their history. Their points tally (6) is the lowest by any side at this stage of a Premier League season.
  • Southampton have dropped 20 points from winning positions in the 2024/25 Premier League season, second only to Tottenham. In addition, the Saints have won just one of their last 36 Premier League fixtures. They are on a 13-match run without victory since beating Everton at St. Mary’s in November.
  • Ipswich Town have made a league-high 66 changes to their starting line-up this term.

Player to Watch

Liam Delap

With goalscoring an issue for both teams, Adam Armstrong, Paul Onuachu, and Omari Hutchinson were viable candidates for this section. However, we have picked Liam Delap as our Player to Watch, considering his exploits in his breakthrough Premier League campaign. But the last few weeks have seen him being in prominence due to his disciplinary issues.

Delap has conceded 48 fouls in this season’s Premier League, second only to Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Joao Gomes. The Englishman has been cautioned eight times, including five in his last eight appearances. However, Kieran McKenna will hope that the tag eludes the Englishman and that he delivers the goods in the final third.

Prediction

Ipswich Town 2-1 Southampton

Ivan Juric has struggled to galvanise the Southampton squad this season, and the Saints have struggled to even rack up a point. While they tend to go ahead in games, no other team has dropped more points than them in the Premier League.

So, while Southampton will give the hosts a run for their money, the Tractor Boys should script a comeback that can define their 2024/25 Premier League campaign. Liam Delap should rise to the occasion and deliver the goods in the final third. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Kieran McKenna and his charges.

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