Ipswich Town vs. Newcastle: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

Newcastle are in good form heading into this game having lost only one of their last five games, winning two, while also drawing 3-3 with Liverpool in what was a very good performance. Ipswich, though, are still winless on home soil and have lost three of their last four in front of their own fans.

Both of these sides are pretty reliable BTTS picks, with Newcastle having seen goals at both ends in four of their last five games, while Ipswich have seen BTTS occur in three of their last five, including both of their last two. Ipswich 1-2 Newcastle.

Ipswich Town are continue their attempts to climb out of the Premier League relegation zone as they take on Newcastle United this weekend.

• Date: 21/12/2024
• Kick-off time: 15:00
• Location: Portman Road, Ipswich

Ipswich Town are currently 18th in the Premier League with 12 points from 16 games. As expected, it’s been a tricky start to the season for an Ipswich side who face the prospect of a season-long relegation battle. The Tractor Boys have shown plenty of signs of promise, but similar issues have plagued them since the opening weekend, and if they want to give themselves the best chance of survival, they’ll need to make big improvements.

Ipswich’s main issues stem from their inability to see games out, with Kieran McKenna’s side having dropped 15 points from winning positions so far this season, the second most in the entire league. For the first hour or so of a game, Ipswich can generally go toe to toe with most sides in the division, but as the game wears on, they become increasingly vulnerable.

They are, though, showing signs of general improvement, with eight of their twelve points this season coming in their last seven games. The likes of Liam Delap and Leif Davis have made the step up to Premier League football nicely, as has Omari Hutchinson, so the Tractor Boys aren’t short on quality. They primarily need to make sure their defence remains competitive, and with 28 goals conceded so far, it’s not the best, but it’s far from the worst either.

Newcastle United currently sit 12th in the Premier League with 23 points from 16 games. The Magpies are amidst an up-and-down season in terms of form as they look to make an assault on the European places. Much was expected of Newcastle coming into the season, and while there have been some promising moments, they’ve largely been short of what the fanbase expects of them.

Eddie Howe’s side have been streaky in terms of their league form and have been unable to put a significant run of results together, but they come into this game in good shape, and given they’re heavy favourites in this fixture, they should see it as a prime opportunity to kickstart the kind of run they’ve been looking for.

Newcastle reached the League Cup semi-finals on Wednesday night so that will provide a significant morale boost to the Magpies. If they can pick up their first major trophy since 1955, that will mark a significant moment in the club’s history and could propel them to greener pastures in the league.

The Magpies are still only five points behind Nottingham Forest in 4th, so there’s plenty to play for this season. Last season’s injury woes largely seem to be behind them, so they have little excuse for not finishing in the top eight at least this season. After some good performances and some good results in recent weeks, three points is very much the expectation here.

This game will not be televised live in the UK, but full radio coverage will be provided by BBC Radio Suffolk.

Ipswich Team News:

The Tractor Boys have been dealt a huge blow as they will be without striker Liam Delap, who is unavailable through suspension following an accumulation of yellow cards.

Also missing for the home side will be Axel Tuanzebe, Chiedozie Ogbene, George Hirst and Cieran Slicker.

Predicted lineup: Muric; Clarke, O'Shea, Burgess, Davis; Morsy, Cajuste; Burns, Chaplin, Hutchinson; Al-Hamadi.

Newcastle Team News:

Eddie Howe remains without the injured quartet of Callum Wilson, Sven Botman, Jamaal Lascelles and Emil Krafth, while Nick Pope is a doubt.

Joelinton is also unavailable through suspension, so he'll likely be replaced by Joe Willock in the midfield.

Predicted lineup: Dúbravka; Livramento, Schär, Burn, Hall; Tonali, Guimarães, Tonali; Gordon, Isak, Murphy.

Ipswich:

Ipswich enter this game with one win, one draw and three losses from their last five games. At the weekend, Ipswich picked up a huge win in their fight against relegation as they beat Wolves 2-1 away from home. After going 1-0 up after 15 minutes through an own goal, Matheus Cunha equalised for Wolves in the 72nd minute, but an injury time winner from substitute Jack Taylor sealed the points for McKenna's men.

Before that, two late goals consigned Ipswich to a 1-2 loss to Bournemouth after Conor Chaplin had opened the scoring, a result that followed successive 1-0 losses against Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest.

Those results followed a 1-1 draw at home to Manchester United, where Omari Hutchinson grabbed Ipswich's goal.

Newcastle:

Newcastle are amidst a solid run of form having won two, drawn two and lost one of their last five games. The Magpies' most recent game was a resounding 3-1 win over Brentford in the League Cup quarter-finals, with Sandro Tonali (X2) and Fabian Schär scoring the goals.

Prior to that, Newcastle hammered Leicester City 4-0 thanks to a Jacob Murphy brace and goals from Bruno Guimarães and Alexander Isak, a result that was preceded by a 4-2 defeat to Brentford, where the goals came from Isak and Harvey Barnes.

Those results came after a 3-3 draw with Liverpool, where Isak, Anthony Gordon and Schär scored the goals, and a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace.

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