Prediction: Match to end in 1-1 draw
Best Odds: 59/11
Ipswich Town and Brighton and Hove Albion will lock horns with each other in the Premier League this week. The match between Kieran McKenna’s side and Fabian Hürzeler’s team will be held at Portman Road and is scheduled to kick off at 7:30pm UK time on Thursday.
Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town won promotion from the Championship to the Premier League at the end of last season and were expected by many to go back straight down. It was supposed to be bad for the Tractor Boys, and it has proven to be so.
Kieran McKenna’s side are third from bottom in the Premier League table at the moment with 16 points from 20 matches, level on points with 17th-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers. While they are in real danger of getting relegated, there is hope that they could escape the dreaded drop to the second tier of English football.
Ipswich will head into the Premier League game against Brighton and Hove Albion at Portman Road on the back of a 3-0 victory over Bristol Rovers at home in the third round of the FA Cup. It came after a 2-2 draw with Fulham away from home at Craven Cottage in London in the Premier League which followed a 2-0 victory over Chelsea in front of their fans in the league.
Team News:
Ipswich Town are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Brighton and Hove Albion. Aro Muric will be in goal and will have Ben Godfrey, Luke Woolfenden, Cameron Burgess and Conor Townsend in front of him in defence. Kalvin Phillips and Massimo Luongo will be the two holding midfielders. Wes Burns, Jack Taylor and Jack Clarke will be the three attacking midfielders. Ali Ibrahim Al-Hamadi will lead the line for the Tractor Boys.
Brighton and Hove Albion
Brighton and Hove Albion are an established club in the Premier League. Long gone are the days when they used to fight for relegation. These days the Seagulls are among the clubs aiming to challenge for the European places in the league.
The Seagulls started the season strongly, but they have been struggling to win Premier League games of late. Brighton currently find themselves 11th in the league table with 28 points from 20 matches.
Brighton will head into the Premier League game against Ipswich Town away from home at Portman Road on the back of a 4-0 hammering of Norwich City away from home at Carrow Road in the third round of the FA Cup. It came after a 1-1 draw with Arsenal at the American Express Stadium in the Premier League which followed a 2-2 draw with Aston Villa away from home at Villa Park in the league.
Team News:
Brighton and Hove Albion are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Ipswich Town. Jason Steele will be in goal. Joel Veltman, Jan Paul van Hecke, Adam Webster and Pervis Estupinan will be the four defenders. Carlos Baleba and Yasin Ayari are likely to be the two holding midfielders. Yankuba Minteh, Julio Enciso and Kaoru Mitoma will be the three attacking midfielders. Georginio Rutter will lead the line for Brighton.
Key Factors to Consider
- Ipswich Town have won 2 of their last 6 Premier League games.
- Ipswich Town have conceded 35 goals in 20 Premier League games.
- Brighton and Hove Albion have 5 of their last 6 Premier League matches.
- Brighton and Hove Albion have won 6 of their 20 Premier League matches this season.
- Brighton and Hove Albion have scored 30 goals and conceded 29 goals in 20 Premier League matches this season.
- Conclusion
Ipswich Town are in danger of getting relegated to the Championship at the end of the season, but their recent form has improved. Meanwhile, Brighton and Hove Albion are not having the best of times and have been disappointing of late. This is unlikely to be a great game of football and will not have too many goals. It could end in a draw.
Prediction: Match to end in 1-1 draw
Best Odds: 59/11
