Preview: Arsenal vs. Ipswich Town - prediction, team news, lineups

The curtain closes connected the festive circular of Premier League fixtures astatine the Emirates Stadium, wherever rubric outsiders Arsenal and relegation candidates Ipswich Town fastener horns connected Friday evening.

The hosts were feeling the Christmas cheer astatine Selhurst Park past weekend, storming to a 5-1 triumph implicit Crystal Palace, whereas the Tractor Boys were on the incorrect extremity of a four-goal location defeat.

Match preview

© Imago

Sports journalists up and down the state enjoyed cracking retired the Gabriel Jesus Christmas puns connected Saturday evening, immoderate of which whitethorn person been much due for Easter time, but the Brazilian has undoubtedly been reborn if 5 goals successful 2 games is thing to spell by.

After propelling Arsenal to the EFL Cup semi-finals with a hat-trick against Palace, Jesus tormented the Eagles erstwhile much astatine Selhurst Park with a superb brace, earlier Declan Rice, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz etched the Gunners' sanction into the grounds books.

That 5-1 mauling marked the sixth clip successful 2024 that Arsenal person scored astatine slightest 5 goals successful an distant crippled - a feat nary English top-flight broadside had ever managed earlier successful a azygous calendar twelvemonth - and Mikel Arteta's men are wrong touching region of Chelsea erstwhile again.

Overhauling Liverpool's unassailable pb astatine the acme volition instrumentality immoderate doing successful 2025, but Arsenal look to person rediscovered their knack for unfastened play goals aft being stunted against Fulham and Everton, and it is present 10 games unbeaten successful each tournaments for Arteta's troops.

Furthermore, pursuing Brentford's 2-0 decision astatine the hands of Nottingham Forest astatine the weekend, the Gunners are present the lone Premier League squad yet to suffer astatine location successful the 2024-25 season, and their past 3 top-flight Emirates matches against Forest, Everton and Manchester United person besides brought 3 cleanable sheets.

© Imago

From the lone Premier League squad with nary location defeats to the lone 1 with nary location wins, Ipswich were near battered and bruised by an Alexander Isak-inspired Newcastle United astatine Portman Road, wherever the sparkling Swede helped himself to a 54-minute hat-trick.

The arsenic effervescent Jacob Murphy besides helped himself to a first-half extremity arsenic Ipswich joined an unwanted Premier League club, becoming conscionable the sixth squad successful past to neglect to triumph immoderate of their archetypal 9 location games of the campaign; 4 of the erstwhile 5 were relegated.

The Tractor Boys' concern could lone beryllium much perilous if their sanction was Southampton, arsenic Kieran McKenna's men are bottommost but 1 successful the Premier League standings, but they are lone 2 points down Leicester City successful the comparative information of 17th place.

Embarrassing Arsenal astatine the Emirates could truthful assistance Ipswich supra the dotted line, and 8 of the visitors' 12 points person been won connected the roadworthy this term, including 3 astatine the location of the Gunners' arch-nemesis Tottenham Hotspur backmost successful November.

McKenna's men person besides failed to people successful conscionable 2 of their 9 contests connected the roadworthy this season, but their astir caller travel to the Emirates successful the 2010-11 EFL Cup semi-finals ended successful a 3-0 second-leg defeat, earlier Arsenal mislaid to Birmingham City successful the last acknowledgment to the infamous Wojciech Szczesny and Laurent Koscielny calamity.

Arsenal Premier League form:

Arsenal signifier (all competitions):

Ipswich Town Premier League form:

Team News

© Imago

Arsenal's decimation of Crystal Palace came astatine possibly the biggest outgo imaginable, arsenic Hale End leader Bukayo Saka sustained a hamstring wounded successful the archetypal half, 1 that Arteta has revealed volition support him retired for "many weeks" amid reports that helium is facing a two-month layoff.

Arteta's attacking resources are further depleted by Raheem Sterling's lack with a genu injury, the aforesaid contented which is keeping defenders Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu out. In brighter news, Oleksandr Zinchenko mightiness marque his comeback from a muscular problem.

Martinelli filled successful for Saka connected the close astatine Selhurst Park, but the red-hot Jesus should beryllium the fig 1 prime to deputise for the Englishman for the adjacent respective weeks, arsenic Rice's expected midfield callback should propulsion Havertz further forward.

Ipswich volition besides beryllium ruing the lack of a cardinal cog for Friday's fixture, albeit 1 owed to suspension alternatively than injury, arsenic skipper Sam Morsy has picked up 5 yellowish cards and serves a one-match ban.

McKenna should present Kalvin Phillips into the fray arsenic Morsy sits connected the naughty step, but fledgling striker Liam Delap is backmost from a suspension of his ain and could beryllium a consecutive swap for Conor Chaplin astatine the extremity of the attack.

Former Arsenal academy prima Omari Hutchinson should reprise his relation successful the XI contempt being taken disconnected astatine the interruption past clip out, but Chiedozie Ogbene (Achilles), Janoi Donacien (fitness), George Hirst (knee) and Axel Tuanzebe (thigh) are unavailable again.

Arsenal imaginable starting lineup:
Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Rice, Merino; Jesus, Havertz, Trossard

We say: Arsenal 3-0 Ipswich Town

McKenna has stuck to his guns nary substance who Ipswich person faced this season, meaning that the Tractor Boys are improbable to sacrifice an attacking subordinate successful favour of an other defender for the travel to the Emirates, and the visitors person a knack for scoring distant from home.

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