Preview: Ipswich Town vs. Fulham

Having faced two of the Premier League’s most potent powerhouses in their first two games of the season, Ipswich Town face a friendlier fixture on Saturday, when Fulham head to Portman Road.

The Tractor Boys have some EFL Cup mistakes to rectify after losing on penalties against AFC Wimbledon in midweek, while Marco Silva‘s men got the better of Birmingham City.

Match preview

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Only if Arsenal were visiting Ipswich’s turf this weekend could McKenna’s side have been handed a tougher start to life back in the Premier League, having been forced to pit their wits against Liverpool and Manchester City in their first two competitive battles of 2024-25.

After their engine blew in a 2-0 loss to the Reds, where their gung-ho first-half preceded a tepid second, Ipswich were briefly on cloud nine at the Etihad when Sammie Szmodics‘s opener trickled over the line, only for hat-trick hero Erling Haaland to inspire an inevitable Citizens comeback.

There was to be no immediate redemption tale for Ipswich in the EFL Cup either, as following a 2-2 draw with Wimbledon in normal time, Conor Chaplin‘s late leveller just delayed an embarrassing exit; Omari Hutchinson and Jack Taylor both fluffed their lines from the penalty spot.

With three losses to show from their opening three bouts of 2024-25, Ipswich now endeavour to avoid an unwanted first under McKenna, who has never lost back-to-back league home games in charge of the top-tier new boys.

Furthermore, not since the 2006-07 Championship season have Ipswich been condemned to defeat in their opening three games of a league campaign, and they have never opened a top-flight season with three straight losses, so unwanted history could be written on Saturday afternoon.

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Likewise, Fulham have also been consigned to an early loss versus a Manchester outfit – going down 1-0 to Manchester United in the season’s maiden match – but Silva’s troops made Craven Cottage amends when Ipswich’s 2023-24 Championship foes Leicester City paid a visit.

From North London to West London, two former Arsenal academy proteges in Emile Smith Rowe and Alex Iwobi propelled Fulham to their maiden success of the 2024-25 season, ensuring that Wout Faes‘s header – which was initially ruled out – would be meaningless in the grand scheme of things.

Following on from that deserved success in terrible capital conditions, Fulham avoided sharing Ipswich’s EFL Cup fate at the home of Birmingham City, where Raul Jimenez and former Blues loanee Jay Stansfield struck inside the opening 15 minutes to send the Cottagers into round three.

Revelling in their third win from their last four competitive matches, Fulham can end a 16-year streak at Portman Road, as the capital outfit have not won at least two of their opening three games of a top-flight campaign since the 2008-09 season.

However, Fulham have had Ipswich’s number ever since the start of the 2016-17 Championship season, beating the Tractor Boys in each of their last six showdowns, including a 3-1 win at Portman Road in the fourth round of last season’s League Cup.

Ipswich Town Premier League form:

Ipswich Town form (all competitions):

Fulham Premier League form:

Fulham form (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago

No Ipswich players have reported any physical problems from the Man City or Wimbledon defeats, leaving Wes Burns (thigh), Nathan Broadhead (thigh), George Hirst (knee), Harry Clarke (calf) and Janoi Donacien (groin) in the medical bay.

McKenna did not hesitate to rotate for the EFL Cup, where new signings Chiedozie Ogbene, Kalvin Phillips, Dara O’Shea and Jens Cajuste were all named in the starting XI, but it would be a surprise to see any member of the quartet hold their place for Saturday; Jack Clarke may fare better.

Chaplin’s last-gasp equaliser should also not be enough for him to keep his place over Szmodics, who is out to become the first Ipswich man since Adam Tanner in 1995 to score in their first two Premier League starts for the hosts.

While five Ipswich players are currently sidelined, the Fulham medical staff have been able to put their feet up in the early stages of the campaign, as Silva’s men should have a clean bill of health once again this weekend.

The Cottagers boss handed a full debut to Sander Berge and a second Fulham start – and his first since his return – to Joachim Andersen in midweek, although that does suggest that the pair will return to the bench for the trip to East Anglia.

Indeed, Fulham could name the same Premier League side for the third game in a row, as Smith Rowe seeks to score in back-to-back Premier League games for the first time since December 2021.

Ipswich Town possible starting lineup:
Muric; Tuanzebe, Woolfenden, Greaves, Davis; Morsy, Luongo; Clarke, Szmodics, Hutchinson; Delap

We say: Ipswich Town 1-2 Fulham

A refreshed set of Ipswich legs should not suffer a similar humiliation a la their Wimbledon woes, but McKenna’s men are noticeably frail at the back and will certainly leave gaps for Fulham to exploit if they adopt a risky approach.

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