Ipswich Town will host Bournemouth at Portman Road on Sunday, looking to get back to winning ways with a positive performance at home.
Ipswich Town have lost their last two league matches, and they are 18th in the Premier League table ahead of the visit of Bournemouth on Sunday. The Tractor Boys will be desperate for survival in the Premier League, and they need to win these games to stay up.
On the other hand, Bournemouth are coming into this game on the back of two consecutive victories, including the impressive win over Tottenham Hotspur in their last outing. The Cherries are ninth in the league table, and they will look to climb further up the table with a victory.
Andoni Iraola’s men will be aware of Ipswich’s vulnerabilities, and they will look to pile further misery on the hosts. Ipswich Town have drawn their last four matches against Bournemouth, and it remains to be seen whether they can grind out a positive result here.
Kieran McKenna’s men have been quite mediocre in the Premier League, and they have picked up just one win from the last 16 league games. They will need to improve immensely to grind out all three points. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town will be without Janoi Donacien due to a groin injury. Chiedozie Ogbene misses out with a calf injury, while Axel Tuanzebe is unavailable due to a hand injury. Meanwhile, George Hirst has a knee injury. The home side will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Arijanet Muric in goal.
Ben Johnson and Leif Davis will start as the full-backs here, and they will look to keep things compact at the back and help out during counter-attacking situations. Luke Woolfenden and Dara O’Shea will start at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Samy Morsy and Jens Cajuste will start in the double pivot, and they will look to win the ball back for their side and break up opposition attacks. Wes Burns and Omari Hutchinson will look to add pace and flair to the side from the wide areas.
Conor Chaplin will start in the attacking midfield role, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates. Finally, Liam Delap will lead the line for Ipswich Town against Bournemouth on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Muric; Johnson, Woolfenden, O’Shea, Davis; Morsy, Cajuste; Burns, Chaplin, Hutchison; Delap
Bournemouth
The Cherries will be without Julian Araujo due to a thigh injury, Alex Scott due to a knee injury, Luis Sinisterra due to a thigh injury, and Marcos Senesi because of thigh injury. Bournemouth will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Ipswich Town, with Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal.
Adam Smith and Milos Kerkez will start as the full-backs. They will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. Meanwhile, Illia Zabarnyi will start alongside Dean Huijsen in the central defensive partnership.
As for the midfield unit, Ryan Christie will start alongside Lewis Cook in the double pivot. They will look to help out defensively and add composure to the side as well. Justin Kluivert will start in the attacking midfield role, and he will look to create goalscoring chances for his teammates.
Marcus Tavernier and Antoine Semenyo will start in the wide areas, and they will look to add pace and flair to the side. Finally, Evanilson will lead the line for Bournemouth against Ipswich Town on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kepa; Smith, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez; Christie, Cook; Tavernier, Semenyo, Kluivert; Evanilson
Key Stats
Ipswich Town have failed to win 15 of their last 16 matches in the Premier League.
Ipswich have drawn their last four matches against Bournemouth in all competitions.
12 goals have been scored in the last four meetings between these two sides.
Bournemouth have lost two of their last six Premier League matches.
Ipswich have lost three of their last six Premier League matches.
Player to Watch
Antoine Semenyo
Embed from Getty Images
The Bournemouth winger is our key player to watch out for. He will need to make a significant difference in the final third for his team to come away with all three points. Semenyo has impressed in recent months, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates in the final third and add to his goalscoring tally as well. He is capable of slotting into multiple attacking roles, and his dynamism could make it difficult for Ipswich to deal with him.
Prediction
Ipswich Town 1-2 Bournemouth
The home side will be desperate for a win here, but they are lacking in form and confidence. They have been quite disappointing defensively, and Bournemouth have enough quality to take advantage of their frailties. The visitors will be high on confidence after winning two matches in a row, and they should be able to grind out a narrow victory away from home.