Ipswich Town will host Tottenham Hotspur at Portman Road on Saturday afternoon, desperate to get back to winning ways.
Ipswich Town have failed to win their last six matches in the Premier League, and they are 18th in the table ahead of the game vs Tottenham Hotspur at Portman Road on Saturday. The Tractor Boys are one of the favourites to go down this season, and they will need to raise their performance levels to give themselves a better chance of staying in the Premier League.
Meanwhile, Tottenham have bounced back from their disappointing run of form with two consecutive wins in the Premier League. They will be looking to build on that and put together a winning run now. Spurs are 12th in the table, and they will be hope to finish as high as possible.
The Lilywhites will be chasing European qualification for the 2024/25 season, and it will be interesting to see if they can grind out of victory here. On paper, Tottenham are the better team, but they will need to perform at a high level to grind out all three points.
Spurs were beaten by Ipswich Town in the Premier League earlier this season, and the visitors will look to avenge that defeat here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Ipswich Town
Wes Burns has a knee injury, Christian Walton has a groin injury, Julio Enciso has a knee injury, Chiedozie Ogbene misses out with an achilles injury, and Conor Chaplin has a knee issue. Axel Tuanzebe is suspended.
Ipswich Town will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Tottenham Hotspur, 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 defensively and hit Spurs on the break. Luke Woolfenden and Dara O’Shea will start at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Samy Morsy and Jens Cajuste will start in the double pivot, and they will look to win the ball back for their side and break up opposition attacks. Nathan Broadhead and Jack Clarke will add pace and flair from the flanks.
Omari Hutchinson will reprise the attacking midfield role, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates, with Liam Delap leading the line for Ipswich Town vs Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Muric; Johnson, Woolfenden, O’Shea, Davis; Morsy, Cajuste; Broadhead, Hutchinson, Clarke; Delap
Tottenham Hotspur
Cristian Romero is lacking in match fitness, Dominic Solanke has a knee injury, and Radu Dragusin has a knee injury. Meanwhile, Micky van de Ven has suffered another setback, and he will miss out with a hamstring problem. Richarlison is sidelined with an injury as well.
Tottenham Hotspur will shape up in a 4-3-3 formation vs Ipswich Town, with Guglielmo Vicario in goal. Pedro Porro and Djed Spence will start as the full-backs, and they will look to keep things compact at the back. Archie Gray will start alongside Kevin Danso at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Pape Matar Sarr will start alongside Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma in the middle of the park. They will look to add defensive cover and control to the side.
Dejan Kulusevski will start on flanks, and he will look to create goalscoring chances for his teammates. Son Heung-min will lead the line for Tottenham vs Ipswich Town, with Mathys Tel on the left flank.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Kinsky; Porro, Gray, Danso, Spence; Bentancur, Bissouma, Sarr; Kulusevski, Son, Tel
Key Stats
- Ipswich Town have failed to win their last six matches in the Premier League.
- Ipswich Town have won four of their last six matches vs Tottenham Hotspur.
- Tottenham have won two of their last six matches in the league.
- 19 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two sides.
- Liam Delap has 10 top-flight goals since joining Ipswich – the only player to score more for the club in a Premier League season is Marcus Stewart, who netted 19 in 2000/01
Player to Watch
Dejan Kulusevski
The Tottenham attacking midfielder is our key player to watch out for. The Swedish international has been outstanding this season, and he will look to influence the game with his creativity and goals in the final third. He will look to carve out opportunities for his teammates and find the back of the net as well. Tottenham will depend on him to make a game-changing contribution in the final third.
Prediction
Ipswich Town 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Both teams will be desperate for a positive result here, and this is likely to be a close contest. Ipswich Town have a surprisingly good record vs Tottenham Hotspur, and they will look to grind out a positive result at home.
However, the visitors have more quality and they should be able to edge this one. They cannot afford to be complacent though. A narrow victory for the other side is on the cards. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Ange Postecoglou and his charges.
