Premier League | Gameweek 10

Nov 2, 2024 at 3pm UK

Portman Road Stadium

Ipswich vs Leicester

Match preview

Ipswich are one of just three teams, along with Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers, to have failed to win any of their opening nine Premier League games this season, drawing four and losing five.

The Tractor Boys have now lost their last three top-flight games to West Ham United, Everton and Brentford, losing 4-3 away to the latter in an action-packed encounter last weekend.

Kieran McKenna, who still has the backing of the Ipswich hierarchy despite the winless start, emerged from the Brentford defeat with "great pride" after praising the "fantastic" mentality of his players and insisted his side's performance showed they were "back on the right track".

Before facing Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United after the international break, Ipswich will be hoping to pick up their first three points against another newly-promoted side in Leicester, who they have failed to beat in their last four meetings.

However, the 18th-placed Tractor Boys have won all three of their home Premier League meetings with the Foxes, winning 4-1 in January 1995, 2-0 in January 2001 and 2-0 in December 2001.

Leicester began October with back-to-back Premier League victories over Bournemouth (1-0) and Southampton (3-2), but ended the month with successive defeats to Nottingham Forest (3-1) and Manchester United (5-2), losing to the latter in the EFL Cup last 16 on Wednesday.

Bilal El Khannouss and Conor Coady both got on the scoresheet for a much-changed Foxes side, but Ruud van Nistelrooy's ruthless Red Devils prevailed thanks to a couple of defensive blunders by the visitors, two deflected goals and, according to Steve Cooper, a "really poor linesman's decision" for United's second goal.

The Leicester boss was booked for his touchline protests and has now been suspended for Saturday's trip to Ipswich. He also vented his frustration after the game, but took positives from a "strange" game at Old Trafford.

Leicester will seek revenge against Man United when they return to the Theatre of Dreams on 10 November, but first they must turn their attention to Saturday's clash at Portman Road, where they will be looking for a second successive away win to move up from their current 15th position in the table.

The Foxes have every reason to be optimistic this weekend, having lost just one of their last nine league meetings with Ipswich (W5 D3), with both Championship encounters ending in 1-1 draws last season.

Recent Performance

Ipswich Town Premier League form:DDDLLL

Leicester City Premier League form:DDLWWL

Leicester City form (all competitions):WLWWLL

Team News

Ipswich winger Chiedozie Ogbene, who was stretchered off against Brentford, has undergone surgery on a torn Achilles tendon and will join Axel Tuanzebe (thumb), Jacob Greaves (hamstring) and Jack Taylor (muscle) in the treatment room.

Harry Clarke, who became only the second player in Premier League history to score an own goal, concede a penalty and be sent off in the same game last weekend, is suspended, while Omari Hutchinson (illness), Sam Morsy (hamstring), Ben Johnson (thigh) and Massimo Luongo (ankle) are back in training and will be assessed before kick-off.

Dara O'Shea could move to right-back if Johnson is not fit to start, which would likely see Luke Woolfenden recalled to partner Cameron Burgess at centre-back, while Liam Delap, Wes Burns and Jack Clarke are also in contention to return to the starting line-up.

For Leicester, back-up goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk (ankle) is the only confirmed absentee as Hamza Choudhury (shoulder), Victor Kristiansen (groin) and Patson Daka (ankle) all returned to training this week and will be assessed further.

Abdul Fatawu missed the midweek defeat to Man United with a groin injury and is a doubt for Saturday's game, meaning either Bobby De Cordova-Reid or El Khannouss could retain their starting berths.

Having made nine changes to his side in midweek, Cooper is expected to recall several of his first-team stars this weekend, including Mads Hermansen, Wout Faes, Ricardo Pereira, Harry Winks, Wilfred Ndidi, Facundo Buonanotte and Stephy Mavididi, who scored in the 1-1 Championship draw with Ipswich at Portman Road last season.

Possible starting lineups

Ipswich Town possible starting lineup:

Muric; O'Shea, Woolfenden, Burgess, Davis; Phillips, Cajuste; Burns, Chaplin, Szmodics; Delap

Leicester City possible starting lineup:

Hermansen; Pereira, Okoli, Faes, Justin; Ndidi, Winks; De Cordova-Reid, Buonanotte, Mavididi; Vardy