Portman Road hosts Ipswich Town against Maidstone United, as The National League South side attempts a Championship giant killing this Saturday in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup.
- Ipswich Town to win @ 1/20 on William Hill
- Under 2.5 goals @ 7/2 on Paddy Power
- Both teams to score @ ⅘ on William Hill
These odds are accurate at the time of publication, they are subject to change.
Ipswich are having a good season so far in the Championship, and on paper they have one of the easiest fixtures in the Fourth Round. However, having already eliminated Stevenage, Maidstone are looking to continue their National League form in the FA Cup.
In the Championship, Ipswich currently sit third after 27 games. The Tractor Boys have 17 wins, seven draws and three losses. This leaves Ipswich on 58 points, equal with Southampton in the automatic promotion spots and seven points from top-of-the-league Leicester.
Ipswich have won the FA Cup once in their history, beating Arsenal 1 - 0 back in 1978. That was their only Final appearance and since then The Tractor Boys have only managed to make the Quarter-Finals where in 1992 they lost 4 - 2 to Arsenal.
Maidstone United, on the other hand, sit fourth in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football. In 28 games, Maidstone have 13 wins, seven draws and eight losses, leaving them on 46 points, equal with Hampton & Richmond Borough above them but already 16 points from top spot Yeovil.
On the other hand, this is the 11th time Maidstone have competed in the FA Cup, with their first appearance in the competition coming in 1983. This year's journey into the Fourth Round is the furthest Maidstone have ever made it in the competition, their previous furthest was the Third Round back in 1986.
This will be the first meeting between Ipswich and Maidstone in their histories. Despite the four tiers between the two sides, they’ve both got similar attacking stats this season. In 27 games, Ipswich have 50 goals which gives them an average of 1.85 goals per game. Similarly, Maidstone have 40 goals in 28 games which gives them an average of 1.43 goals per game.
At the other end of the pitch, both sides have leaked goals. Ipswich have conceded 34 goals this season which sees them concede 1.2 goals on average per game. Maidstone have been equally poor at the back with 35 goals conceded in 28 games, giving them an average of 1.25 goals conceded a game.