Pep Guardiola will be eager to get back to winning ways following another setback as Manchester City visit relegation-threatened Ipswich Town. Kieran McKenna will understand the significance of every point in the second half of the season, hoping to seize any available opportunities. Ipswich Town face a daunting challenge at home, with Manchester City, the reigning champions, in town, and McKenna will demand a strong performance from his players.
Ipswich Town are currently battling to escape the relegation zone, and their upcoming fixtures are far from easy. Similar to earlier in the season, they face consecutive matches against Manchester City and Liverpool, where they are likely to be underdogs.
Ipswich were defeated by Brighton & Hove Albion at Portman Road on Thursday, ending their three-game unbeaten streak. After a tough loss to Arsenal in late December, Ipswich had remained unbeaten in three games, including a win over Chelsea in the league and a victory over Bristol Rovers to advance in the FA Cup.
Pep Guardiola has been in high spirits lately, with Manchester City showing improvement after a difficult period in which they won just one of 13 games across all competitions. Since then, they’ve won three straight, including league victories over Leicester City and West Ham, and an 8-0 thrashing of Salford City in the FA Cup.
However, earlier this week, they were held to a 2-2 draw by Brentford, which likely brought back painful memories of recent struggles. After Phil Foden scored a brace, it seemed like Manchester City would secure all three points, but Brentford staged a dramatic comeback to level the score in injury time through Yoanne Wissa and Christian Norgaard.
This result was a blow to Manchester City’s hopes of climbing back into the top positions, with the gap to Liverpool still large by their standards. Guardiola’s primary aim now would be securing a top-four finish, although they are certainly capable of going on a strong run to re-enter the title race.
Team News & Tactics
Ipswich Town
Despite their loss to Brighton, Kieran McKenna will have seen positive performances from players like Omari Hutchinson and Nathan Broadhead, both of whom are expected to feature in the attacking setup. Ipswich will miss several key players, including Axel Tuanzebe, Conor Chaplin, Sammie Szmodics, and Chiedozie Obgene for this match on Sunday.
New signing Jaden Philogene may be involved but is unlikely to start, and he could appear from the bench. Luke Woolfenden and Jacob Greaves will line up in central defence, with Dara O’Shea moving to right-back and Leif Davis on the left.
Samy Morsy and Jens Cajuste will play in midfield, with Hutchinson in an advanced role. Wes Burns and Broadhead will operate as wide attackers, and former Manchester City player Liam Delap will lead the line for Ipswich.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Walton; O’Shea, Woolfenden, Greaves, Davis; Morsy, Cajuste; Burns, Hutchinson, Broadhead; Delap
Manchester City
A significant boost for Manchester City ahead of this match has been Erling Haaland’s long-term contract extension, securing his future at the club. The only absentees for City are Oscar Bobb, Rodri, and Ruben Dias.
Guardiola will assess John Stones ahead of the game, but he may not take any risks with the defender. Therefore, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake are set to start in central defence, while Josko Gvardiol and Rico Lewis will play in the full-back positions.
Veteran Kyle Walker is unlikely to feature after expressing a desire to leave the club during this transfer window. Guardiola is likely to deploy a similar setup to the Brentford game, with Mateo Kovacic as the lone holding midfielder, while Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne take on more advanced roles.
Phil Foden will again start on the right wing, with Savinho on the left, and Haaland will lead the attack, aiming to continue his prolific scoring form.
Probable Lineup (4-1-4-1): Ortega; Lewis, Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol; Kovacic; Foden, Silva, De Bruyne, Savinho; Haaland
Key Stats
Manchester City have won just one of their last seven away games in the Premier League.
Manchester City have scored at least two goals in each of their last three Premier League matches.
Manchester City last completed a double over Ipswich Town in the 1994/95 season.
Ipswich Town have lost five of their last six games, with one draw.
Leave a Reply