Ipswich Town vs Crystal Palace

Portman Road is the venue as Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace go head-to-head in a midweek Premier League relegation six-pointer.

A disheartening 1-0 loss at Nottingham Forest last weekend halted Ipswich Town’s mini-revival (W1, D2), negating their outstanding showings against Manchester United (1-1) and Tottenham (2-1) to keep them firmly embroiled in the relegation scrap. Stuck in the bottom three pre-round, Kieran McKenna’s men tail their 17th-placed visitors on goal difference alone ahead of their first league meeting since 2013, when Ipswich triumphed 3-0 at Portman Road. However, the Tractor Boys have been in awful form at home this season, commencing this matchday as the only Premier League side yet to win a home league match (D4, L2). A lack of firepower has been an issue, with Ipswich only netting five goals across those six games. But they can draw confidence from avoiding defeat across their last four top-flight home encounters against London clubs (W2, D2).

In the meantime, Crystal Palace’s dreadful start to the season took another hit last weekend as a 1-1 home draw against Newcastle United extended their winless league run to four matches (D3, L1). Considering that Selhurst Park has been the only source of joy for Oliver Glasner’s charges, with 67% of their top-flight points coming on their home turf (6/9), hitting the road could spell trouble for the Eagles. Indeed, they’re one of only three Premier League teams yet to win away from home this term (D3, L3). Interestingly, their last two league fixtures in the hostile setting have ended 2-2, highlighting the potential for a high-scoring contest. That’s been a common theme in this match-up, as Palace’s last three competitive meetings with Ipswich have featured 3+ goals.