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Liverpool vs. Ipswich Town: EPL Match Preview, Odds & Prediction
On Saturday, Liverpool will host Ipswich Town, who are fighting for their Premier League survival. They hope to complete their first home victory of 2025.
The hosts, managed by Arne Slot, are back in domestic action after securing a spot in the Champions League quarterfinals, while the visitors are still trying to recover from a devastating six-goal loss to Manchester City.
Previous Matches and Head-to-head
Liverpool avoided an undesirable two-legged playoff by preserving their perfect European record and securing first place in the 36-team league phase with a 1-0 victory against 2020-21 Ligue 1 winners Lille at Anfield on Tuesday night, despite a momentary scare.
Slot has now won seven European matches in charge of Liverpool, thanks to goals from Jonathan David, a deflected effort by Harvey Elliott, and a beautiful curler by Mohamed Salah. Next week, the Reds will need just one point against PSV Eindhoven to lock in a league phase "championship" finish.
With two last-gasp goals from the enigmatic Darwin Nunez against a stubborn Brentford team, Liverpool topped the continental standings and increased their Premier League advantage over the chasers to six points last weekend.
With the help of the Uruguayan's incredible late brace, Liverpool won their first Premier League match of the year and extended their incredible undefeated streak to 17 games since their lone home setback this season under Slot's tutelage.
Since their shocking loss to Nottingham Forest in mid-September, the Reds have scored twice in all fourteen previous home meetings in all competitions. The form book tells us that when Ipswich comes to town, that streak will become fifteen.
After two humiliating losses at Portman Road—8-0 to Manchester City and Brighton & Hove Albion—the Tractor Boys supporters may welcome a road trip with open arms.
Following a crushing 2-0 defeat to Brighton on January 16, Kieran McKenna's squad were utterly thrashed by a resurgent Manchester City. City led 3-0 at halftime and scored three more goals in the second half.
Ipswich has gone from being undefeated for three games to losing their last two at home, plunging them back into the Premier League relegation zone. The only thing stopping them from falling to 17th, where they are relatively safe, is an inferior goal differential compared to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
While Ipswich have gone scoreless in their last eight Premier League away games, they have scored 56% of their points away from home this season. Of all the Premier League clubs, only Crystal Palace have gained more points on opponent soil than Ipswich (59%).
Though it was 1-0 in December 2000, Ipswich's most recent win against Liverpool was at Anfield. In August, the Reds cruised to a 2-0 victory at Portman Road, extending their winning streak over their East Anglian rivals to four contests.
Liverpool x Ipswich Town Team News
According to Slot, Ryan Gravenberch was substituted for a rest at halftime in Liverpool's victory against Lille, and Curtis Jones was also substituted due to a minor injury.
Jones's fitness for Saturday's match is also uncertain. Regardless, Alexis Mac Allister is anticipated to return to the engine room without delay, and Slot will surely be without Diogo Jota (muscle) and Joe Gomez (hamstring) for the weekend.
Slot made a few midweek changes so Cody Gakpo could start again for a rejuvenated Reds XI on Saturday. If he does, he'll have a chance to join Robin van Persie and Ruud van Nistelrooy as the only Dutch players to score in five consecutive Premier League home games.
Kalvin Phillips, who was ineligible to play against his parent club last weekend but might potentially replace Sam Morsy in the center of the field, could return to Ipswich's lineup for game week 23. This means Liverpool could be without an English midfielder.
The injury report has been lighter since Axel Tuanzebe and George Hirst have returned to the Tractor Boys. However, Sammie Szmodics (ankle), Conor Chaplin (knee), and Chiedozie Ogbene (Achilles) remain out with injuries. For some reason, Jacob Greaves and Luke Woolfenden were also absent from the previous match.
Ipswich coach McKenna may return to his preferred 4-2-3-1 style, even against a similarly dangerous opponent, after shockingly trading an attacker for an additional defender in his 5-4-1 configuration against Manchester City. Pep Guardiola's side ripped that structure to shreds.
Although Brighton & Hove Albion loanee Julio Enciso, whose arrival was announced on Thursday, is not currently in the running for a starting role, he may gain by such a change.
Our predictions
Liverpool to win & over 3.5 goals @ 1.64 on Sky247.ng
Ipswich has recently shown that they can be difficult to beat on the road (ask Arsenal or Tottenham Hotspur). Still, their dismal showing against Man City, despite playing with a very defensive formation, was concerning.
Although McKenna's squad may have more youthful legs, Slot's Liverpool is the only team we can see tearing up the Premier League.
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