Ipswich vs Chelsea: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

Chelsea should be comfortable favourites for this game, and we predict that Chelsea will be the victors at Portman Road, with Ipswich Town not exactly making their home ground a fortress.

Ipswich Town have lost their previous three consecutive games at Portman Road, having recently lost 4-0 to Newcastle United and are winless against their visitors in the last nine meetings. Chelsea have been brilliant away from home recently, having won three of the last four on their travels, including a 4-3 win against Tottenham Hotspur.

The Tractor Boys are without a clean sheet in their previous 13, and even worse for Kieran McKenna’s side is that this season, they have failed to win any of their games at Portman Road. Their victories have come against Wolves and Tottenham Hotspur, but both are away from home.

Chelsea does have a favourable advantage in squad quality and depth to get them through this Christmas period, with the likes of Cole Palmer likely enough to give them the win in this one.

Ipswich 0-2 Chelsea

Ipswich Town face another London-based outfit in Chelsea, days after their trip to the Emirates. Chelsea will look to continue their progress towards a UEFA Champions League place as they make their first league visit to Portman Road in 22 years.

Date: 30/12/2024
Location: Portman Road, Ipswich
Kick-Off: 7.45 pm

Ipswich Town secured promotion to the Premier League for the first time since 2002, to complete an unprecedented achievement for Kieran McKenna, who achieved consecutive promotions with the East Anglian club. The Tractor Boys have found life back in the Premier League, a slight rude awakening, with the club lumbered in the relegation places as we enter the New Year.

Following their spirited 1-0 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates, Ipswich Town are now 19th in the Premier League after 18 games played. A win for Ipswich Town is unlikely to move the Tractor Boys out of the relegation zone, with Wolves having a superior goal difference to Kieran McKenna’s side. If Ipswich Town are to gain a result from this game, they would have to look towards the talents of Liam Delap. The former Manchester City youngster has scored six for the Tractor Boys this season and leads the scoring charts for the hosts.

Chelsea have surprised many this season, as not many fans nor pundits alike predicted that the Blues would be potentially looking at a return to the European elite this season. A huge benefit for Chelsea, has been their participation in the UEFA Europa Conference League, as it has allowed Enzo Maresca to rotate and utilise his options with the plethora of squad he has available. Rotating the squad has allowed Chelsea to field their strongest when available and further strengthen their top-four position.

Chelsea are third in the Premier League after 18 games played, with London rivals Arsenal ahead by a single point on 36. More importantly, Chelsea has a six-point advantage over fifth-placed Newcastle United, so a defeat would not be catastrophic for the Blues. A win will move the Blues ahead of Arsenal, should Arsenal drop points against Brentford.

The game will not be shown live on TV.

Ipswich Town will be without the likes of George Hirst and Axel Tuanzebe for this game.

Enzo Maresca is likely to rotate for this fixture, with the likes of Joao Felix set to given a chance ahead of Jadon Sancho.

The recent history between the two teams suggests that nothing other than a Chelsea win would suffice here. Chelsea are unbeaten in the last nine meetings against the Tractor Boys, with the last league meetings between the two teams taking place in 2002. There have been no league meetings since due to the league position of the hosts over the previous 22 seasons. The last ever meeting between the two teams occurred in 2011 when Chelsea, the reigning champions at the time, dispatched the Tractor Boys by seven goals.

The Tractor Boys are without a clean sheet in their previous 13, and even worse for Kieran McKenna’s side is that this season, they have failed to win any of their games at Portman Road. Their victories have come against Wolves and Tottenham Hotspur, but both are away from home. At home, Ipswich Town have now lost their previous three consecutive home matches, with an illusive win still evading them.

In their most recent match against Newcastle United at home, Kieran McKenna was dealt a huge reality check as the Magpies dispatched four goals past the Tractor Boys. Last time out, Ipswich Town fell to a 1-0 defeat against Arsenal in a game that showed more positivity for the side, than negatives.

Chelsea have been brilliant away from home recently, having won three of the last four on their travels, including a 4-3 win against Tottenham Hotspur. The Blues head into this game following a 0-0 draw with a determined Everton side, which allowed Liverpool to extend their lead over the Blues at the top of the Premier League table. The Blues recent away record has been brilliant, with wins over Southampton and Leicester City.

Following the result against Fulham in which they lost 2-1, Chelsea have now won five of their previous seven Premier League matches, with five consecutive wins with results over the likes of Aston Villa, Tottenham and Brentford. Chelsea have now scored first in eight of their previous ten, following the effort from Cole Palmer to give them the lead during the game.

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