On Thursday night, Ipswich Town and Brighton & Hove Albion will play each other in the top division for the first time in forty years at Portman Road.
The two teams haven’t played at this location in the top tier since Ipswich’s 2-0 victory in January 1983, but they drew 0-0 in the rematch earlier this season.
At the moment, Kieran McKenna’s team appears to be on the verge of leaving the bottom three, fulfilling all of Ipswich’s Christmas fantasies.
They have tied Wolves for 17th place with four points and four goals in their previous two Premier League games, which is the same amount they had managed in the seven games before.
Ipswich finished 2024 by defeating Chelsea 2-0 at Portman Road after a close loss to Arsenal at the Emirates on Boxing Day.
They also nearly had a fantastic start to the new year away at Fulham.
Only two penalties denied them a win at Craven Cottage, with an injury-time strike from Raul Jimenez forcing a draw, after Liam Delap had put them ahead for a second time.
Brighton will be put to the test by a courageous Ipswich club that recently surprised Chelsea and Fulham, so the Premier League’s draw experts could deliver another one here. Hurzeler’s team is winless in eight league games, and this might be an awkward match for them after being held in reverse.
Brighton’s form hasn’t been bad, though, as the cup victory follows two strong draws.
Those four points have pushed the Tractor Boys above Leicester City, and brought Everton right back into jeopardy, just one point further ahead. Despite only averaging 6.1 open-play shots each game, McKenna’s team has been effective in their comeback to the top division, averaging a goal per game thus far.
Early in the season, their home form had been a major worry, but on Sunday, they defeated Bristol Rovers in the FA Cup after winning their first game against Chelsea on the tenth try.The hosts’ next opponent is Brighton, who have been the Premier League’s draw experts this year and were only able to secure a 0-0 tie in this match back in September.
The Seagulls have seen an increase in draws in recent weeks, as seen by the fact that all four of their league games have ended in draws.
fall to 10th, eight points off the top four, and six points off the top six, with a mid-table finish now appearing extremely likely after showing signs of challenging for Europe early in the campaign.
The visitors have done well in their last two league excursions though, holding Arsenal to a draw at the Amex, after also depriving Aston Villa three points on home turf.
Omari Hutchinson, a vital member of Ipswich, will miss the next two games due to a groin injury he sustained last week, which prevented him from playing in the FA Cup match against Bristol Rovers.
Sammie Szmodics has opened the score four times this season, but he will be out of action as McKenna revealed his foot is currently in a protective boot to help treat an ankle injury.
The hosts’ other injury absences are Achilles tear, Conor Chaplin, and Axel Tuanzebe, neither of whom is expected to return for a few more weeks.
Joao Pedro joined Brighton’s list of injured players last week after injuring his ankle during practice, rendering him doubtful for the upcoming games.
Brighton currently has more injuries than any other Premier League team.
While offensive combination Georginio Rutter and Yankuba Minteh will be evaluated before to the game following minor injuries sustained against Norwich.
defensive pairing Lewis Dunk and Tariq Lamptey should be able to return here following their separate knocks and illnesses.
Jack Hinshelwood is also getting close to making a comeback, but players like Ferdi Kadioglu, James Milner, and, most likely, Diego Gomez, who is still getting fit after moving from Inter Miami, will find this game too soon.
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