Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace will be eager to return to winning ways when they clash at Portman Road on Tuesday.
The games will come thick and fast in the Premier League as the festive period approaches. Gameweek 14 of the 2024/25 season will begin 48 hours after the previous rounds of fixtures ended, with the latest matchday kicking off with Ipswich Town vs Crystal Palace at Portman Road late on Tuesday evening.
Ipswich Town might have been one of the most resilient promoted teams in the Premier League in recent seasons. But the time has come for the Tractor Boys to start converting draws into victories, with the dropped points costing them in the relegation dogfight. The 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest this past weekend has dropped Kieran McKenna’s men to the 19th spot, with their visitors leapfrogging them.
Speaking of Crystal Palace, the South London outfit came from a goal down to hold Newcastle United to a 1-1 draw. While the Eagles have failed to win their last four Premier League games and have only managed one victory this season, they have shown positive signs in recent weeks. A victory on Tuesday can take them from 17th to 15th, giving Oliver Glasner and his charges enough motivation to secure the three points.
The most recent league clash between Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace came over a decade ago, with the Tractor Boys sealing a 3-0 win at home in April 2013. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Ipswich Town
Kieran McKenna has a new injury concern hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Ipswich Town manager might be bereft of the services of six first-team players vs Crystal Palace on Tuesday.
Axel Tuanzebe is the latest absentee after picking up a hamstring injury this past weekend against Nottingham Forest. The 27-year-old defender has joined Janoi Donacien (ankle), Chiedozie Ogbene (achilles), and George Hirst (knee) on the sidelines. Meanwhile, McKenna is sweating over the fitness of Kalvin Phillipe and Ben Johnson, who will require late fitness tests to determine their availability.
Arijanet Muric should take his spot between the sticks, with Ipswich Town lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Crystal Palace on Tuesday. The backline should feature Harry Clarke, Dara O’Shea, Cameron Burgess, and Leif Davis.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Samy Morsy and Jens Cajuste in the double pivot. Omari Hutchinson should reprise the no. 10 role, with Jack Clarke and Wes Burns being the two wide attackers. Finally, Liam Delap will lead the line for Ipswich Town against Crystal Palace on Tuesday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Muric; Harry Clarke, O’Shea, Burgess, Davis; Morsy, Cajuste; Burns, Hutchinson, Jack Clarke; Delap
Crystal Palace
Unlike his counterpart in the Ipswich Town dugout, Oliver Glasner does not have any new issues to worry about ahead of the trip to Portman Road. The Crystal Palace manager will be without five first-team players on Tuesday.
Daichi Kamada served the final of his three-match suspension, and the Japanese international and Chadi Riad (knee) should return to the matchday squad this weekend. Adam Wharton and Matheus Franca are the other players on the sidelines, with the duo recovering from groin injuries. Meanwhile, Rob Holding remains indefinitely unavailable.
Dean Henderson is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Crystal Palace lining up in a 3-4-1-2 formation in front of him vs Ipswich Town. The central defensive unit should feature Maxence Lacroix, Trevoh Calobah, and Marc Guehi. Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell will be the two wing-backs, with the duo providing the width in the final third.
Cheick Doucoure and Jefferson Lerma should start as the two central midfielders, with Eberechi Eze reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Eddie Nketiah and Jean-Philippe Mateta will be the two strikers for the away side against Ipswich Town on Tuesday.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Henderson; Lacroix, Chalobah, Guehi; Munoz, Doucoure, Lerma, Mitchell; Eze; Nketiah, Mateta
Key Stats
Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace have squared off 83 times in all competitions. They have contested these meetings closely, with the Tractor Boys having a 32-27 lead in wins and 24 games ending in draws.
Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace have met four times in the Premier League. The visitors have an unbeaten record in these meetings, recording three wins (D1).
Ipswich Town have won just one of their last five games vs Crystal Palace, keeping three clean sheets.
Crystal Palace have scored 11 goals in 13 Premier League games, with only Everton and Southampton (10) scoring fewer goals.
Crystal Palace are unbeaten in their last three away games in all competitions, scoring two goals each.
Player to Watch
Liam Delap
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While Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eberechi Eze were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Liam Delap as our Player to Watch for Tuesday’s game. While the Englishman has not found the back of the net in his last two Premier League outings, he remains the most prolific attacker between the two times.
The 21-year-old has piqued the attention of several high-profile clubs across Europe, with his exploits not going unnoticed. With Crystal Palace struggling at the back, the English striker will fancy his prospects of rediscovering his scoring touch this midweek.
Prediction
Ipswich Town 1-1 Crystal Palace
Tuesday’s match pits two goal-shy teams, although the hosts are more clinical and prolific on their travels. So, we cannot expect a goal fest, although both goalkeepers should be busy between the sticks in the midweek Premier League fixture.
Eberechi Eze and Omari Hutchinson should be the difference-makers in the final third, although Liam Delap and Jean-Philippe Mateta will find the back of the net. Ultimately, there might not be much to separate the two teams, and The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw between Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace.