Arsenal vs Ipswich Town

Emirates Stadium is the venue as Premier League title hopefuls Arsenal entertain relegation-battling Ipswich Town in conflicting spirits.

Arsenal put fellow London rivals Crystal Palace to the sword last weekend (5-1) to stay within striking distance of table-topping Liverpool ahead of Boxing Day. However, with 16 of the 32 teams to top the table on Christmas Day going on to lift the title, Arsenal’s chances of overhauling a six-point deficit pre-round do look slim. Confidence stems from their imperious home form this season. Mikel Arteta’s men haven’t lost a competitive match in North London (W10, D3), while they’re unbeaten across their last 41 home league encounters against newly promoted clubs (W36, D5). Furthermore, the Gunners are one of only two Premier League clubs not to have trailed a home game at halftime this season (HT: W5, D3), highlighting the potential for taking control of proceedings quickly. 

Visiting Ipswich Town will likely need to avoid that scenario if they’re to return home undefeated against the odds after being swept aside by Newcastle United at home last weekend (0-4). That was their fourth defeat in five Premier League matches (W1), leaving them stranded in the bottom three. However, they’re only a fraction off safety, largely thanks to their impressive away form. Indeed, Kieran McKenna’s lads have won twice on their last three Premier League travels (L1), accounting for 50% of their points total this season (6/12). Despite beating Tottenham in North London last month, trips to Arsenal tend to be less productive for the Tractor Boys, who haven’t won an away H2H since 1979 (W0, D4, L7).