Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town have endured contrasting fortunes in their recent outings as they get set to face off at Selhurst Park on Saturday.
The 2024/25 Premier League season continues this weekend with Gameweek 28. The latest round of fixtures will start with the game between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City before the action on Saturday continues with three simultaneous ties, including Crystal Palace vs Ipswich Town at Selhurst Park.
Crystal Palace seemed set to contest the relegation dogfight after managing only three points until Gameweek 8. The horrendous run continued until Gamweek 12, with Oliver Glasner’s men falling to 19th in the Premier League standings after winning only one of their opening 12 games.
However, since then, the Eagles have been one of the most in-form teams in the top flight, losing only three games to rise to 12th on the table, with European qualification not out of the question. In addition, Crystal Palace’s FA Cup campaign continued last weekend, beating Millwall 3-1 in the fifth round to reach the quarter-finals.
On the other hand, Ipswich Town bowed out of the FA Cup, losing to Nottingham Forest in penalties after holding the Tricky Trees to a 1-1 draw. That result continued the Tractor Boys’ winless run, and their most recent Premier League victory came in December.
Meanwhile, Kieran McKenna’s men have not been outside the drop zone since November. So, with Wolverhampton Wanderers five points ahead of Ipswich Town, relegation is increasingly likely for the Suffolk side.
The reverse fixture saw Crystal Palace eke a narrow 1-0 win over Ipswich Town, with Jean-Philippe Mateta scoring the match-winning goal. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Crystal Palace
Oliver Glasner has new roster issues hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Crystal Palace manager will be bereft of the services of five first-team players vs Ipswich Town on Saturday.
The win over Millwall in the FA Cup fifth round came at a cost. Jean-Philippe Mateta sustained a nasty head injury after a ridiculous challenge by Liam Roberts, with the cut requiring over two dozen stitches.
In addition, Will Hughes will serve a suspension until this month ends after picking up his tenth yellow card of the 2024/25 Premier League season against Aston Villa last week. Mateta and Hughes have joined Chadi Riad (knee), Joel Ward (calf), and Cheick Doucoure (knee) on the sidelines.
Dean Henderson will take his spot between the sticks, with Crystal Palace lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of him vs Ipswich Town on Saturday. The central defensive unit will feature Chris Richards, Maxence Lacroix, and Marc Guehi. Meanwhile, Daniel Munoz and Tyirck Mitchell are automatic picks as the two wing-backs.
The wide duo will protect the central defenders and provide width in the advanced areas. As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Adam Wharton and Jefferson Lerma in the middle of the park. Finally, Ismaila Sarr and Eberechi Eze will be the two playmakers for Crystal Palace, with Eddie Nketiah replacing Mateta as the central striker.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Wharton, Lerma, Mitchell; Sarr, Eze; Nketiah
Ipswich Town
Like his counterpart in the Crystal Palace dugout, Kieran McKenna has new injury concerns to worry about ahead of the trip to Selhurst Park. The Ipswich Town manager will be without seven first-team players on Saturday.
Axel Tuanzebe (hamstring) and Sammie Szmodics (ankle) are the latest absentees, with the duo joining Wes Burns (knee), Chiedozie Ogbene (achilles), Julio Enciso (knee), Omari Hutchinson (knee), and Conor Chaplin (knee) on the sidelines. However, there is some good news, as Christian Walton (groin), Cameron Burgess (knock), and Kalvin Phillips (muscle) are closing in on returning.
Alex Palmer is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Ipswich Town lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Crystal Palace on Saturday. The backline should feature Ben Johnson, Dara O’Shea, Jacob Greaves, and Leif Davis.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Samy Morsy and Jens Cajuste in the double pivot. Jack Clarke should reprise the no. 10 role, with Jaden Philogene and Nathan Broadhead being the two wide attackers. Finally, Liam Delap will spearhead the Ipswich Town attack against Crystal Palace.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Palmer; Johnson, O’Shea, Greaves, Davis; Morsy, Cajuste; Philogene, Clarke, Broadhead; Delap
Key Stats
- Crystal Palace are unbeaten in all five Premier League games vs Ipswich Town, winning the four most recent meetings (D1).
- Crystal Palace have won seven of their last nine games in all competitions. The Eagles have only lost one of 12 since Christmas. Oliver Glasner’s men are vying to win four consecutive fixtures in all competitions for the first time since a four-match streak — interrupted by the Covid pandemic — from February to June 2020.
- Ipswich Town are the only club without a Premier League win in 2025, managing only two points from a possible 24. The Tractor Boys are in danger of failing to win their opening nine league matches in a calendar year for the first time.
- Ipswich Town have dropped 22 points from winning positions in the Premier League this season, more than any other side. The Tractor Boys won 32 points from losing positions in the EFL Championship last term but have come from behind to claim only three points in the 2024/25 campaign, the second-worst record in the Premier League.
- Crystal Palace have won five of their 40 Premier League games under Oliver Glasner by three or more goals, as many times as in their previous 128 league matches before his arrival.
Player to Watch
Eddie Nketiah
While Liam Delap and Eberechi Eze were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Eddie Nketiah as our Player to Watch for Saturday’s game between Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town at Selhurst Park as he gets set to fill Jean-Philippe Mateta’s enormous boots.
The Frenchman has 12 Premier League goals this season, scoring in six of Crystal Palace’s nine league wins, including the only goal away to Ipswich Town in the reverse fixture. So, Nketiah must embrace most of the responsibility to earn the three points for the home side. In addition, this is the golden opportunity to stamp his authority after enduring a stop-start campaign thus far.
Prediction
Crystal Palace 2-1 Ipswich Town
Jean-Philippe Mateta’s absence should give Ipswich Town the motivation to take the game to Crystal Palace while attempting to shut out the home side’s offensive threat. However, the Eagles have an elite recent record at Selhurst Park against teams starting the day in the drop zone.
Crystal Palace have not lost their last 18 Premier League home games against sides starting the day in the relegation zone (W12 D6) since a 4-0 defeat by Sunderland in February 2017. So, while the Tractor Boys will give the hosts a run for their money, they might fall eerily short. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Oliver Glasner and his charges.
