George Hirst scored in Ipswich Town’s recent FA Cup exit at Nottingham Forest.
George Hirst scored in Ipswich Town’s recent FA Cup exit at Nottingham Forest. (Image: PA)
Ipswich Town take on Nottingham Forest, at Portman Road, in a Premier League match this afternoon (3pm). Stuart Watson previews the action…
Ismaila Sarr’s scored the only goal of the game as Ipswich Town lost 1-0 at Crystal Palace last weekend.
Ismaila Sarr scored the only goal of the game as Ipswich Town lost 1-0 at Crystal Palace last weekend. (Image: PA)
With 10 games left, we now can now officially call this ‘the run-in’.
Three wins and eight draws from 28 Premier League games leaves Town with just 17 points to their name.
The gap to safety grew to six points last weekend (effectively seven due to goal difference) after the Blues’ 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace was followed up by Wolves securing a 1-1 comeback home draw with Everton.
Wolves are at rock-bottom Southampton this afternoon (also 3pm). With the latter having taken just four points at St Mary’s all season, Ipswich can’t be relying on the Saints for a favour.
Meanwhile, Leicester – on the same points as Town, let’s not forget – host woefully out of form Man United (who are fresh from Thursday night Europa League action at Real Sociedad) tomorrow evening (7pm).
With the above in mind, it feels vital that Ipswich get something today if they are to keep this relegation fight alive.
Jack Taylor’s saved penalty proved decisive as Ipswich Town exited the FA Cup at Nottingham Forest recently.
Jack Taylor’s saved penalty proved decisive as Ipswich Town exited the FA Cup at Nottingham Forest recently.
Town have faced Forest twice already this season – both times at The City Ground.
The Premier League encounter came at the end of November. In a scrappy, stop-start game of few chances, Chris Wood’s converted spot-kick early in the second half proved the difference. Jota Silva had taken a dramatic tumble in the box after Sammie Szmodics’ challenge. Town huffed and puffed in search of an equaliser.
“On the balance of play I don’t think anyone could have had any complaints had it been a draw,” said Kieran McKenna. “I don’t think you can say we did enough to win the game, but I think it was competitive enough to say that a draw would have been an even result.”
Less than a fortnight ago, back in the East Midlands, Town took an FA Cup fifth round match all the way to penalties. George Hirst’s headed opener at a corner was cancelled out by Ryan Yates’ headed finish in a second phase that followed a free-kick delivery. It finished 1-1 after 120 minutes. Jack Taylor’s saved spot-kick at the end of a high quality shootout ultimately saw jubilant Forest set-up a quarter-final tie at Brighton.
“I’m really proud of the efforts of the players,” said McKenna. “I don’t think they could have put anything more into the game.
“We came into the game with a lot of challenges, we had some more challenges as the game went on picking up some injuries, so I think the way the team competed and fought, and some of the football we played as the game grew on, was really good. I think players will take great belief and confidence from tonight.”
Can Town go one further and beat Forest on home soil today? The Blues are certainly due a victory at Portman Road.
Callum Hudson-Odoi scored Nottingham Forest’s winner against Man City last weekend.
Callum Hudson-Odoi scored Nottingham Forest’s winner against Man City last weekend. (Image: PA)
Forest recently ended a 20+ year absence from the Premier League then spent big in their attempts to stay there. Sounds familiar, right?
Having just about clung on in 2022/23 and 2023/24, the East Midlands side have been the surprise package of this campaign. Nuno Espirito Santo’s team, a mix of smart foreign buys and ‘big club’ cast-offs, currently find themselves third and dreaming of Champions League qualification.
Their form of late has been mixed. A 5-0 defeat at Bournemouth in late January was followed up by a 7-0 home thrashing of Brighton. After that they faltered slightly. A much-changed side squeezed through an FA Cup tie at Exeter on penalties, then came defeats at Fulham (2-1) and Newcastle (4-3), plus a 0-0 home draw with Arsenal.
Last weekend’s 1-0 home win against Man City, secured by Callum Hudson-Odoi’s late goal, represented a first league victory in five weeks.
Just seven points separates third and ninth. The battle for European spots is hotting up. Forest, having been tipped by many to fade away all season, will be fired up to prove their doubters wrong.
That said, they’ll be feeling a bit of pressure too, especially for a game like this one today where they’re seen as strong favourites.
Omari Hutchinson could return to the Ipswich starting XI after recovering fully from a knee injury.
Omari Hutchinson could return to the Ipswich starting XI after recovering fully from a knee injury. (Image: PA)
WHO PLAYS?
Remarkably, McKenna has never named an unchanged side this season. Might this be when that finally happens? I’m not so sure.
The team that started last weekend’s 1-0 loss at Palace was: Palmer; O’Shea, Woolfenden, Greaves, Davis; Phillips, Cajuste; Philogene, Enciso, Clarke; Delap.
Omari Hutchinson, who made his injury return off the bench last weekend, will almost certainly come into the team if fit.
There’s an argument that Cameron Burgess should replace Jacob Greaves at left-sided centre-back. The former never let the side down earlier in the campaign, while the latter hasn’t quite hit the same early heights since recovering from a hamstring injury around the turn of the year.
There’s also an argument that Ben Johnson, who was one of Town’s best performers in the most recent game against Forest, should come in for either Jaden Philogene or Jack Clarke. That would see the formation revert to more of a 3-4-2-1 and enable Town to try and deal with pacey counter-attacking wide threats of Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga better.
Or, if McKenna really wants to go for it, how about starting both Liam Delap and George Hirst? Delap playing wide right could bamboozle Forest. Just a thought…
Predicted team: Palmer; O’Shea, Woolfenden, Greaves, Davis; Phillips, Morsy; Philogene, Hutchinson, Enciso; Delap.
I take optimism from that recent FA Cup display at The City Ground, but am also realistic enough to know that the table tells no lies and Nottingham Forest are miles ahead when it comes to team chemistry. I’m expecting another really tight game between these two sides. I toyed with predicting both a win and defeat before ultimately settling on 1-1.
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