Arsenal are one of the Premier League title contenders this season and have a great chance tonight to move to the 2nd in the point table when they welcome Ipswich Town. Since Chelsea lost to Fulham FC on Boxing Day, a win over Ipswich Town will take Arsenal to the 2nd place with six points behind the table topper, Liverpool.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta believes the differences between Liverpool and Arsenal are not so massive. “The margins are not big, especially with the results that [Liverpool] are having consistently, it is putting the bar up very high again – which we expected. So we need to raise it again and be very consistent, continue to play the way where we continue winning and wait,” said Mike Arteta in the pre-match press conference.
Ipswich Town, meanwhile, are struggling to get out of the relegation zone. They are in 19th with only 12 points after 17 games. Every single point is very crucial for Ipswich. Let’s see how they can do against the title contender, Arsenal.
Stats & Facts
- The last time Arsenal lost to Ipswich Town was in 1984. Since then, the Gunners have not lost any of their previous 13 league games against Ipswich, winning 10!
- Ipswich Town have failed to win any of their last 11 visits to Emirates Stadium against Arsenal.
- Arsenal have not lost in any of their previous 41 meetings with newly promoted sides while winning 12 consecutive matches.
- Arsenal conceded 16 goals in 17 league games this season so far – the lowest in this competition.
- Ipswich Town conceded 32 goals in 17 games – twice as many as Arsenal.
Team News
Arsenal had a massive blow during the match against Crystal Palace last week as Bukayo Saka left the pitch with a hamstring injury, which Arteta later confirmed will keep him out of the squad for many weeks. Raheem Sterling is also unavailable due to his knee injury while Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu remain out of the team with their respective injuries. However, Oleksandr Zinchenko may have a few minutes as he recovered from his muscle injury.
As for Ipswich Town, captain Sam Morsy will miss the match due to a suspension following his five yellow cards in the league. Former City player Kelvin Phillips is likely to replace the captain, while Liam Delap is now eligible to play after his suspension. But Ipswich Town will miss the service of Chiedozie Ogbene, Janoi Donacien, George Hirst, and Axel Tuanzebe due to their respective injuries.
Possible Lineup for Arsenal:
Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Rice, Merino; Jesus, Havertz, Trossard
Possible Lineup for Ipswich Town:
Muric; Johnson, O’Shea, Greaves, Davis; Cajuste, Phillips; Hutchinson, Szmodics, Clarke; Delap
Prediction: Arsenal 3-0 Ipswich
Arsenal are in a good rhythm and are desperate to get closer to the table topper. Although they will be without Saka, they have plenty of options in the frontline. So it should not be difficult for the Gunners to get goals against Ipswich, who are struggling in the relegation zone.
Betfair Odds
Arsenal: 1.16
Draw: 8.41
Ipswich: 17.41
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