Newcastle United will be eager to get closer to cementing their place in the top five, and they could send Ipswich Town back to the Championship with a win at St. James’ Park.
Newcastle United had the momentum on their side and on a five-game winning run, they were the favourites to make it six while visiting Aston Villa last weekend. Little did they envisage the stellar performance from Unai Emery’s side, who ended the game 4-1 and revived their chase for a top-five place.
The Magpies were third on the table heading to Villa Park, but have since seen the likes of Manchester City and Nottingham Forest go above them. The former faced Aston Villa on Tuesday and won, while the latter were victorious against Tottenham on Monday.
With a win over a struggling Ipswich Town on Saturday, the Magpies could re-take third spot as Manchester City and Nottingham Forest are not in action at the weekend. The primary objective is to finish within the top-five positions, and as things stand, they are one of the favourites to play Champions League football next season.
Meanwhile, Ipswich Town supporters are merely waiting for the official confirmation of their relegation back to the Championship. A terrible 4-0 loss at home to Arsenal all but ended any lingering hope of mathematically still being there, as another point for either West Ham United or themselves dropping any point will confirm their demotion.
In the game against Arsenal, Kieran McKenna stated the Gunners were of the highest standard for a team Ipswich Town have faced this season. The result was there to be seen on the pitch, as Mikel Arteta’s side were utterly dominant on the attacking side while keeping a tight lid at the back.
To make matters worse, with the score at 2-0, Ipswich Town defender Leif Davis was sent off for a challenge on Bukayo Saka. The game ended in a 4-0 the scoreline could have been much worse, and the Tractor Boys are not destined to play Championship football once again, which could be confirmed against Newcastle United.
Team News & Tactics
Newcastle United
Jason Tindall will continue to step in for Eddie Howe, who continues to recover from pneumonia, and the assistant manager will name his strongest eleven to get the team over the line against Ipswich Town. Fabian Schar is a doubt after pulling up against Villa with a hamstring complaint.
Tindall did confirm his withdrawal was precautionary, although there will be question marks about the Swiss centre-back starting just yet. The bigger concern will be to rush the defender, given Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles are out of the equation as Newcastle United may not want to be without Schar for the remaining games.
Emil Krafth could be drafted in as a centre-back should Schar miss out, as he will feature alongside Dan Burn at the heart of the defence. Kieran Trippier and Tino Livramento will continue to operate in the full-back roles, while Tindall is expected to retain the same midfield setup of Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali. He will retain the front three. including Harvey Barnes despite the return to fitness for Anthony Gordon.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pope; Trippier, Krafth, Burn, Livramento; Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton; Murphy, Isak, Barnes
Ipswich Town
Kieran McKenna’s problems only compounded with the team’s performance against Arsenal as they may have a new defensive conundrum to solve. The red card to Leif Davis will see him miss three games in a row, and Conor Townsend is still a bit doubtful to feature.
Cameron Burgess is a good enough choice, but McKenna might use him as a centre-back, which could open the door for one of Ben Godfrey or Jacob Greaves to feature at left-back, with the latter likely to get the nod.
Beyond that issue, McKenna has a host of first-teamers missing from action, as the manager will likely use a similar setup in midfield and the front line to the one that started against Arsenal.
The only potential change from the last game would be the inclusion of Liam Delap, with the in-demand striker likely to lead the line for Ipswich Town against Newcastle United on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Palmer; Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Burgess, Greaves; Morsy, Cajuste; Johnson, Enciso, Clarke; Delap
Key Stats
- Newcastle United have won five of their last six games in the Premier League.
- Ipswich Town are unbeaten in their last two away games in the Premier League.
- Newcastle United have won each of their last four home league games, their longest such sequence since a seven-match streak between September and December 2023.
- Ipswich Town have failed to keep a clean sheet in all 14 of their league fixtures this calendar year, conceding 38 goals and claiming six points from a possible 42 (W1 D3 L10).
- Liam Delap has 12 Premier League goals this season. The only other players to hit 12 or more for a newly promoted side while aged 22 or younger are Alan Shearer for Blackburn in 1992/93, Andrew Cole for Newcastle in 1993/94 and Yakubu for Portsmouth in 2003/04.
Player to Watch
Alexander Isak
The Swedish striker has been arguably one of the most consistent performers in the Premier League, and more so against promoted sides. He has 14 goals in his last 15 appearances against such teams, and there is another chance to improve that tally when Newcastle United face Ipswich Town.
Isak has 21 goals in this Premier League season, and he will want to finish well within range of top scorer Mohamed Salah before the season ends. The idea of playing a team like Ipswich Town will be tempting for the striker to get some goals under his bag and help Newcastle United push to cement their place in the top five.
Prediction
Newcastle United 4-0 Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town are not under pressure of relegation anymore, as they are only on the brink of dropping down to the Championship. Yet, they seem to be in a place where they are unable to perform at their highest, as Arsenal carved through their defence throughout their encounter last time out.
Newcastle United are hoping the result against Aston Villa was merely a blip in their quest to finish in the top five, and they could not have asked for a better game to bounce back. The Magpies are expected to put plenty of goals past this Ipswich Town team and move back into third place at the weekend. The Hard Tackle predicts a 4-0 win for the home side.