SM
Spain vs. Denmark: 8 hrs 4 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data
IL
Premier League | Gameweek 1
Aug 17, 2024 at 12.30pm UK
Portman Road Stadium
LL

Ipswich
0 - 2
Liverpool


Woolfenden (6'), Hutchinson (13'), Burns (24')
FT(HT: 0-0)
Jota (60'), Salah (65')
Gakpo (90+5')

Preview: Ipswich Town vs. Liverpool - prediction, team news, lineups

:Headline: Preview: Ipswich Town vs. Liverpool - prediction, team news, lineups:
Sports Mole previews Saturday's Premier League clash between Ipswich Town and Liverpool, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Sports Mole

Two new eras begin at Portman Road on Saturday lunchtime, when Ipswich Town and Liverpool begin their respective Premier League campaigns in the 12.30pm kickoff.

As the Tractor Boys prepare to end their lengthy exile from the top flight of English football, the Reds gear up for their first competitive match under the wing of Arne Slot.


Match preview

A penny for Jurgen Klopp's thoughts as Liverpool were given the first 12.30pm kickoff of the new season - the German often had a bone to pick with the fixture organisers when his side were given the early slot - but he can now kick back and watch Saturday's contest as a fan while Slot rallies his troops in the morning.

It has been almost seven months since Klopp dropped the unexpected bombshell that the 2023-24 campaign would be his last at Anfield, and while he left with another EFL Cup winners' medal around his neck, Premier League supremacy proved a step too far.

Nevertheless, ex-Feyenoord boss Slot - whom Tottenham Hotspur tried and failed to hire in 2023 - will be guiding the Reds back into the promised land of the Champions League this season, albeit in its new-look format, and the new manager bounce was seemingly in full effect in pre-season.

Despite commencing their summer with a shock 1-0 loss to Preston North End behind closed doors, Liverpool subsequently won four on the spin against revered opposition in Real Betis, Arsenal, Manchester United and Sevilla, before a low-key goalless draw with Las Palmas at an empty Anfield.

While Slot has already laid down a few markers this summer, the same cannot be said of Liverpool's transfer gurus, as impatient Reds fans are still awaiting their first new arrival of the summer while the sporting team prioritise the contracts of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

In stark contrast, many a new face has filtered in through the Portman Road doors following Ipswich's second successive promotion, as the 2022-23 League One runners-up came within a whisker of pipping Leicester City to Championship glory last season.

A second-placed ranking was still sufficient to propel the Tractor Boys back into the top flight 22 years on from their most recent Premier League foray, having competed exclusively in the lower tiers ever since their demotion in the 2001-02 campaign.

The sterling work of head coach Kieran McKenna supposedly saw some of the Premier League's big boys come calling, namely Chelsea and Manchester United, but the 38-year-old rejected the chance to move up the footballing ladder in favour of penning a new Portman Road contract.

Akin to upcoming foes Liverpool, Ipswich's pre-season preparations were overwhelmingly positive, as McKenna oversaw a trio of 1-0 victories over Shakhtar Donetsk, Hoffenheim and Nice, with the only blot being a 2-1 beating at the hands of Fortuna Dusseldorf.

While Ipswich's summer contests were mostly low-scoring, 222 goals since McKenna took charge in December 2021 puts them second in England's top four divisions since that month, only behind Manchester City's 239. On the other side of the coin, however, their two meetings with Liverpool in the 2001-02 Premier League season ended with the Tractor Boys shipping 11 across 180 minutes, suffering an embarrassing 6-0 slaughter at Portman Road.

Ipswich Town pre-season form:
  • W
  • L
  • W
  • W


Liverpool pre-season form:
  • L
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • D


Team News

Liverpool were seemingly set to travel to Ipswich with just one injury concern in the shape of Bobby Clark (back), but the teenage midfielder is now believed to be on the brink of joining Pep Lijnders's Red Bull Salzburg in a £10m deal.

As a result, Arne Slot ought to have all of his troops available for his Premier League baptism, as Andrew Robertson returned from his Euro 2024 injury to play an hour of the draw with Las Palmas, so the Scotsman should be fine to bomb down the left here.

Salah, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold are also nailed-on starters despite their contract situations, but there have been claims that Slot is not too keen on Ibrahima Konate, who started the Las Palmas friendly while Jarell Quansah was given the nod in front of the crowd against Sevilla.

On the other hand, the Ipswich medical team are nursing a few players back to full health in Harry Clarke (Achilles), George Hirst (knee), Nathan Broadhead (thigh) and Janoi Donacien (adductor), while Cameron Humphreys (unspecified) is a major doubt.

No fewer than 11 new players have arrived at Portman Road on permanent deals this summer, and at least a handful should come straight into the first XI here, including Arijanet Muric, Liam Delap, Jacob Greaves and ex-Arsenal and Chelsea youngster Omari Hutchinson.

The Tractor Boys also announced the permanent capture of Sammie Szmodics and loan arrival of Manchester City's Kalvin Phillips on Friday, but it remains to be seen whether they were registered in time for the weekend.


Ipswich Town possible starting lineup:
Muric; Tuanzebe, Edmundson, Greaves; Johnson, Luongo, Morsy, Davis; Hutchinson, Delap, Harness

Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, Van Dijk, Robertson; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Jota, Diaz


We say: Ipswich Town 0-2 Liverpool

Ipswich switching to a three-man central defensive shape in order to stifle Slot's Liverpool is not beyond the realm of possibility, but the full-strength Reds are sure to wear down their hosts' backline eventually.

While McKenna's men should still keep the scoreline respectable, having demonstrated their defensive prowess in pre-season, we can only envisage Liverpool heading back up north with their first three points of the Slot era.


For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.


body check tags ::

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


amp_article__550406 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2024-08-17 13:03:35:
html db last update - 2024-08-17 13:03:35 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html
Read more!
Share this article now:


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Recommended Next on SM
Gomez 'makes decision' on Liverpool future after £45m claim
Tuchel who? Man United 'identify' 39-year-old as 'ideal Ten Hag replacement'
Premier League return? Arsenal, Chelsea 'set to battle' for Bayern attacker
Manchester City planning Josko Gvardiol move?
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool76011321118
2Manchester CityMan City7520178917
3Arsenal7520156917
4Chelsea7421168814
5Aston Villa7421129314
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton73311310312
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle733187112
8Fulham7322108211
9Tottenham HotspurSpurs7313148610
10Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest724176110
11Brentford73131313010
12West Ham UnitedWest Ham72231011-18
13Bournemouth7223810-28
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd722358-38
15Leicester CityLeicester7133912-36
16Everton7124715-85
17Ipswich TownIpswich7043614-84
18Crystal Palace7034510-53
19Southampton7016415-111
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves7016921-121
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

history www

Double swoop: Arsenal boss Arteta 'eyes £67m deal' for Bournemouth duo

1

DS

Tuchel who? Man United 'identify' 39-year-old as 'ideal Ten Hag replacement'

2

TW

Preview: Iceland vs. Turkey - prediction, team news, lineups

3

PI

Preview: Los Angeles Clippers vs. Dallas Mavericks - prediction, team news, form guide

4

PL

Liverpool 'to battle Real Madrid, Arsenal' for £84m Brazilian wonderkid

5

L'

Saturday's League One predictions including Peterborough vs. Rotherham

6

SL

Oh-dear-Gaard: Arsenal captain 'suffers huge setback' in injury recovery

7

OA

Saturday's League Two predictions including MK Dons vs. Port Vale

8

SL

Tuchel 'talks' and Ten Hag's 'belief': Man Utd and England manager search update

9

T'

Preview: Faroe Islands vs. Latvia - prediction, team news, lineups

10

PF


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .