Separated only by goal difference in the lower echelons of the Premier League table, Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace clash in a crucial bottom-half battle at Portman Road on Tuesday evening.
The Tractor Boys' unbeaten streak was snapped in a 1-0 reverse at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, while the Eagles were seemingly consigned to the same fate against Newcastle United before dramatically rescuing a point from a 1-1 draw.
Match preview
Morgan Gibbs-White of Nottingham Forest and Sam Morsy of Ipswich Town battle for possession of the bal on November 30, 2024© Imago
The battle for attacking supremacy between Forest's Chris Wood and Ipswich's Liam Delap promised to be an intriguing one before Saturday's City Ground encounter, although both sets of supporters may have felt unfulfilled after a disappointing goalless first half.
However, with just four minutes gone after the restart, Sammie Szmodics felled Jota Silva in the box, and Wood paid homage to the old-style of penalties with a thunderous effort down the middle to settle a closely-contested battle, one in which Kieran McKenna's men were far from outplayed but lacked that killer instinct in the final third.
Defeat on Forest's turf represented a rude awakening for Ipswich following their applaudable three-game unbeaten sequence against Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Leicester City, and they have slipped back down to 19th place in the standings as a result.
The fruitless quest for a maiden Premier League home win of the season now continues for McKenna's team, who are the only side in the English top-flight still waiting for a first victory on familiar territory, where they have played out four draws in their last five games.
Should Tuesday's hosts fail to shut up shop in the midweek affair, it will also represent their 10th straight Premier League game without a clean sheet, having not kept an opponent at bay since their goalless stalemate against Brighton & Hove Albion in the middle of September.
Crystal Palace's Daniel Munoz celebrates scoring on November 30, 2024© Imago
Not just one, but two tales of defensive redemption were written at Palace's Selhurst Park base on Saturday afternoon, where Daniel Munoz entered his nomination for the Premier League's worst miss of the season before Marc Guehi turned Anthony Gordon's cross into his own net.
However, with four of the five minutes of second-half stoppage time played, the same combination linked up for a bedlam-triggering Eagles equaliser, as Guehi's floated delivery to the back stick was on the money for Munoz to head home at Nick Pope's near post.
The Colombian's aerial excellence not only snatched a draw from the jaws of defeat, but also propelled Oliver Glasner's troops out of the demotion zone and into 17th place in the table, albeit only thanks to a superior goal difference over Ipswich and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Only one of Palace's last six games has ended in defeat as Glasner's men seek to kickstart a winter revival, and the Eagles have recently discovered a knack for netting on the road, scoring twice in each of their last three away matches across all competitions.
A first clean sheet of the season on rival turf is still eluding the visitors, but Palace did come out on top in their most recent showdown with Ipswich, a 2017-18 EFL Cup second-round contest in which James McArthur scored both Eagles goals in a 2-1 win.
Ipswich Town Premier League form:
Crystal Palace Premier League form:
Crystal Palace form (all competitions):
Team News
Axel Tuanzebe of Ipswich Town on August 24, 2024© Imago
Injury was added to insult for Ipswich at the City Ground on Sunday, where defender Axel Tuanzebe came off in the second half with a suspected hamstring concern, which will surely rule the ex-Manchester United man out of contention here.
Tuanzebe joins Janoi Donacien (ankle), George Hirst (knee) and Chiedozie Ogbene (Achilles) in the Tractor Boys' treatment room, while Kalvin Phillips and Ben Johnson remain doubtful due to their knocks.
Johnson would represent a like-for-like replacement for Tuanzebe at the back, but Harry Clarke may have to fill the void for the time being, and some necessary rotation further up the pitch should benefit Wes Burns and Jack Clarke's chances of attacking starts.
In contrast, Palace came out of their stalemate with Newcastle without any new concerns on the fitness front, although Eberechi Eze was only given a 65-minute run-out following his recent return from a hamstring problem.
Daichi Kamada serves the final game of his three-match suspension, while Matheus Franca (groin), Chadi Riad (knee) and Adam Wharton (groin) are all sidelined, although the latter two might be in contention to return at some point next month.
Should Eze not be deemed ready for back-to-back Premier League starts in quick succession, Eddie Nketiah or Justin Devenny should step into the void, and a rare start may also come the way of injury-plagued midfielder Cheick Doucoure.
Ipswich Town possible starting lineup:
Muric; H. Clarke, O'Shea, Burgess, Davis; Morsy, Cajuste; Burns, Hutchinson, J. Clarke; Delap
Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:
Henderson; Lacroix, Chalobah, Guehi; Munoz, Doucoure, Lerma, Mitchell; Eze; Nketiah, Mateta
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We say: Ipswich Town 1-2 Crystal Palace
Ipswich have taken on the role of stalemate specialists in this Premier League campaign - especially at their Portman Road headquarters - and neither goalkeeper should add to their clean sheet totals given both defences' respective frailties.
However, as the Eagles have started to find a clinical edge on the road and also have Eze fit and firing again, we have faith in Glasner's side to edge an incredibly tight battle, boosting their survival prospects at the expense of their hosts.
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