Ipswich Town vs Chelsea – Match preview and team news | OneFootball

Chelsea travel to Portman Road for the first time in 22 years to play Ipswich Town this evening.

The hosts remained in the bottom three after they lost to Arsenal on Friday night. Massimo Luongo isn’t expected to feature for Kieran McKenna’s side due to illness. Axel Tuanzebe and Chiedozie Ogbene are long-term absentees.

It was derby day disgust for Chelsea as local rivals Fulham staged a late comeback to grab all three points at Stamford Bridge.

Club captain Reece James is back in training following a hamstring issue but Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana are still nursing muscular injuries.

Ipswich Town vs Chelsea – Match preview and team news

Form

Ipswich: LLWLL

A narrow defeat to Arsenal in North London means Ipswich have now lost five of their last six matches.

Perhaps the most worrying aspect is that in four of those defeats, the Tractor Boys have failed to score. The only highlight of December was a crucial late victory at Wolves that saw Jack Taylor score in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

Kieran McKenna’s side have dropped into 19th position with four points separating them from safety.

Chelsea: WWWLL

The Blues have faltered over the last week with two disappointing results.

First, they were frustrated by a resolute Everton defence to come away from Merseyside with only a point.

Then, a late collapse saw West London rivals Fulham snatch all three points at Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day.

Chelsea are now 10 points from Liverpool with the talk of a potential title challenge having reduced in recent weeks. However, the league leaders are the only team in the division with a better record on their travels so Chelsea will be optimistic for their trip to Ipswich.

Last Meeting: Chelsea 7-0 Ipswich, FA Cup, 9th January 2011

Chelsea annihilated Ipswich when the teams last met almost 14 years ago.

Salomon Kalou commenced the FA Cup rout as he made sure Nicolas Anelka’s effort, that Ipswich goalkeeper Marton Fulop had spilled, crossed the line.

Daniel Sturridge tapped in the second shortly after before Carlos Edwards accidentally helped a Frank Lampard free-kick into his own net.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side were relentless and Anelka grabbed a deserved goal moments after the interval. The Frenchman capped off a fine team move with a drilled finish from a tight angle.

Sturridge then found the net again with a sumptuous curling effort and Frank Lampard got involved with a driven strike from the edge of the box. The midfielder then recorded a brace of his own as he latched onto Branislav Ivanovic’s cut-back to make it 7-0.

The holders started their trophy defence in devastating fashion, but Manchester City went on to claim the silverware.

Predicted Lineups

Ipswich: Muric; Johnson, Greaves, O’Shea, Davis; Clarke, Phillips, Cajuste, Hutchinson; Szmodics, Delap.

Chelsea: Sanchez; Gusto, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Felix; Jackson.

Who is the referee?

John Brooks will be the match official. He will be assisted by Simon Bennett and Sam Lewis while Darren Bond will be the fourth official. The VAR will be Michael Oliver and he will be assisted by Nick Greenhalgh.

What channel will Ipswich vs Chelsea be on?

Ipswich vs Chelsea will not be available to watch live in the United Kingdom.

What time is kick-off?

Kick-off at Portman Road will be at 19:45 GMT on Monday 30th December 2024.

Odds

Ipswich – 13/2

Draw – 4/1

Chelsea – 19/50

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