As we are less than a week away from the start of the latest season of the PL, we bring you our Ipswich Town vs Liverpool preview. The side of Ipswich Town prepares to face one of the goliaths of English football, Liverpool. More than 20 years after their last appearance in the Premier League, the Blues from Ipswich Town have finally made it back to the region’s top flight. Despite their long absence, fans are excited to see what the club has to offer as their journey back has been nothing short of exhilarating. After battling their way through the EFL League One and the EFL Championship, they finally earned their spot amongst the strongest teams in England and started their season against Liverpool. Speaking of whom, the third-place finishers of last year displayed an impressive showing of skill and adaptability. With Arne Slot now taking the helm as head coach, fans have high expectations and hope to see the club improve its placements.
Ipswich Town is scheduled to take on Liverpool during the first match day of the Premier League, making this an important game for both sides. Performing consistently in a competition as grueling as the Premier League demands a strong start, so it is not hard to expect both sides to kick things off with a bang. However, the side of Ipswich Town will have to work twice as hard when you consider their lack of experience in the top tier of English football.
The club was last seen in the Premier League back during the 2001-2002 season when they got relegated by placing 18th. They won only nine games and lost twenty while accumulating only 36 points. This sent them to the second tier, better known as the EFL Championship. Their bad luck and poor form continued to haunt them as they ended up in the third tier or the EFL League One later on. Now after more than 20 years, the club made it back to the Premier League by placing second during the 22/23 EFL League One and second again during the following year’s EFL Championship.
On the other hand, Liverpool has been consistently maintaining their performance for the last few seasons. The Reds have regularly finished the league around the top 6 and have displayed immense potency. The lowest Liverpool has placed in recent memory was during the 22/23 season. They placed fifth with 67 points, just behind Newcastle who rose to the occasion with 71 points. Before that season, the club had successfully maintained its position among the strongest teams in the Premier League, even facing off powerhouses like Manchester United and Arsenal.
However, during the following 23/24 season, the club improved tremendously with changes to their set pieces and top eleven. Players like Mohammed Salah and Roberto Furmino showed up massively for the club. With Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson taking a more aggressive stance while being on defense and supporting the strikers, the attacking line-up of the squad improved significantly. Fans are hoping to see this form continue and the players work harder to improve their finishing placements this season.
The game is set to take place on August 17 at Portman Road, which is the home ground of Ipswich Town.
Ipswich Town FC Team Preview
Unless you have been watching the Premier League before 2002, you likely have not heard of Ipswich Town FC. The club has played in the league since its inception back in 1992. The last time we saw the club was during the 2001/2002 season. The team got relegated that year and was sent to the EFL Championship. The team managed to earn only 36 points with 9 wins which placed them at 18th. The relegation came as a massive shock to fans as the team’s performance was quite impressive during the previous season, where they placed fifth with 66 points and 20 wins. They managed to overtake teams like Chelsea, West Ham, and Aston Villa.
Despite the relegation, Ipswich Town started to improve their performance in the EFL Championships. They weren’t quite able to make it back to the Premier League, but consistently placed near the top five. However, their consistency was cut short as they began dwindling their placements. They began becoming more complacent and lacked conviction while playing. This lack of motivation resulted in them falling even lower in the ranks until eventually during the 18/19 season of the EFL Championships.
They placed dead last at 24th during that season. They won only five games out of 46 and accumulated only 31 points. This resulted in them getting relegated again to the EFL League One. At this point, the conditions at the club were quite gloomy as the constant losses and poor showings were quite disheartening for fans and players alike. The players lacked creativity and potency both individually and as a team. After a few seasons in League One, they reached a stalemate and were unable to improve their performance.
However, after four seasons in the EFL League One, the club finally managed to qualify back to the next tier. They placed second during the 22/23 with 98 points, just three points behind Plymouth Argyle. This promoted the team back to the second-division EFL Championships for the 23/24 season. After a few seasons of satisfactory displays during the third division, the club managed to miraculously pull through and surpass everyone’s expectations.
The squad finally showed signs of life and their capabilities to perform as a team. Slowly they began to form a strong chemistry and continued to develop their defensive line-up. These changes enabled them to place second in the 23/24 season of the EFL Championship with 96 points, just one point behind Leicester City. With this major refinement, the club can now finally return to the Premier League after more than 20 years.
Predicted XI: Walton(GK), Tuanzebe, Davis, Burgess, Woolfenden, Morsy, Luongo, Hutchinson, Chaplin, Burns, Hirst
Liverpool FC Team Preview
The Reds have been considered one of the most celebrated clubs in England. The one-time Premier League winners are heading into the upcoming competition off the back of an incredibly remarkable performance during the 23/24 season. The club ended the league with an impressive third-place finish with 82 points.
Alongside winning 24 games, they also qualified for the UEFA Champions League Group Stage. The squad has once again proven their worth and shown everyone that they are deserving of their place among the strongest clubs of the Premier League.
The whole team excelled in their parts of the formation. We saw the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold help refine the defensive line-up. Their contributions enabled the team to safely respond and clear any sort of quick counter-attack and expertly repel pressure. Alexander-Arnold also played quite aggressively this season, with ten assists to his name. Alongside him, Andrew Robertson also found a groove that allowed him to support the strikers further up the field and react quickly to defend the penalty box as well.
Speaking of strikers, the likes of Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino stepped up their aggression as well. Their dribbling and precision have improved significantly allowing them to attempt shots from farther distances. Their developed synergy paired with their agile movement has created opportunities that would have been difficult to create without such aggressiveness. We saw the incredible capabilities of these strikers during many of their matches. A 4-2 win against Tottenham, a 4-1 win against Liverpool, and a 3-0 win against Aston Villa are just a few examples of their outstanding attacking capabilities.
With the addition of Arne Slot as their new Head Coach, fans are excited to see how the club will perform during the upcoming season. Safe to say that Liverpool has a lot of potential going into the 24/25 season and has the capabilities to improve their placement while improving the quality of their football.
Predicted XI: Becker(GK), van Dijk, Quansah, Robertson, Alexander-Arnold, Endo, Mac Allister, Elliott, Gakpo, Díaz, Salah
Ipswich Town FC vs Liverpool FC Betting Odds
Ipswich Town 7.00 – 5.50 Draw –1.36 Liverpool (Bet365)
Ipswich Town FC vs Liverpool FC Head-to-Head Stats
So far Liverpool and Ipswich Town have played each other only five times. Out of the five Liverpool won twice and Ipswich once. The other two were draws. During direct matches, both teams scored an average of 3.20 goals per match. The last time these two teams faced off was more than 20 years ago back in 2002.
Ipswich Town FC vs Liverpool FC Betting Tips and Predictions
The reason why there is such a lack of recent stats about these two teams is Ipswich Town’s relegation. The club has been out of the Premier League since the 2001-2002 season. Since then the club has been playing in the EFL Championship and the ELF League One. After such a long time, the team has finally made it back to the top flight thanks to their recent burst of momentum and changes in their play style. This is a strong showing for the club as they have been in great form since their promotion.
However, it is important to remember that they are facing Liverpool, who are one of the strongest clubs in England and have been playing in the Premier League for a much longer time. They are also in great form since their third-place finish last season. This massive gap in experience and difference in caliber could be all Liverpool needs to decimate the up-comers of Ipswich Town.
Therefore, based on their recent form and results, there is not much doubt that Liverpool has a better chance of winning and starting their season with a big win. Ipswich Town is by no means lacking in momentum but the sheer difference in acumen and experience is what gives Liverpool the edge for this upcoming match.