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

Chelsea decorativeness 2024 by making their archetypal travel to Portman Road to look Ipswich Town since 2002 successful the Premier League connected Monday.

Neither broadside are making the benignant of decorativeness to the twelvemonth they were hoping for, and some desperately request a triumph earlier the caller year.

Match preview

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After specified a promising commencement that had Chelsea up adjacent the apical arsenic improbable rubric contenders, their run has abruptly deed a ceramic partition during the festive period.

Nine wins successful a enactment crossed each competitions since the November planetary interruption person abruptly been followed by 2 games without one.

Enzo Maresca's broadside were frustrated distant to Everton earlier Christmas, and were past stunned astatine location by Fulham connected Boxing Day, conceding successful the 95th infinitesimal to lose 2-1.

That was Chelsea's archetypal location decision to Fulham successful 20 meetings, dating backmost to 1979, and lone the 3rd clip they person mislaid to the Cottagers successful 35 Premier League encounters.

Leading 1-0 aft 82 minutes besides meant it was the archetypal clip they person mislaid a crippled aft starring truthful precocious since 1999, erstwhile they mislaid against Arsenal contempt starring with 7 minutes to play.

That has seen the Blues autumn seven points down leaders Liverpool, who took vantage of their gaffe by beating Leicester City, portion London rivals Arsenal besides leapfrogged them courtesy of a triumph implicit their adjacent opponents Ipswich.

While Chelsea failed to triumph immoderate of the 5 Premier League meetings with Ipswich astatine Portman Road during the aboriginal 90s and 2000s, different statistic should springiness them assurance of uncovering a archetypal triumph here.

This is the 3rd twelvemonth moving Chelsea volition extremity a calendar twelvemonth against a newly-promoted outfit, winning the erstwhile 2 against Bournemouth and Luton Town.

Not lone that, you request to spell backmost to 2011 to find the past clip Chelsea ended a twelvemonth with a defeat, winning 8 and drafting 4 since.

Maresca's men person besides been fantabulous connected the road, with Liverpool the lone squad they person mislaid to distant from location this season.

The past gathering betwixt these 2 came successful the FA Cup 14 years ago, and Chelsea ran retired resounding 7-0 winners, truthful Kieran McKenna volition beryllium praying immoderate akin benignant of thrashing does not hap here.

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Ipswich participate the fixture successful dismal signifier though, having mislaid 5 of their past six matches, leaving them rooted successful the bottommost three, wherever they volition enactment heading into 2025.

A 1-0 loss astatine Emirates against a sub-par Arsenal saw Ipswich flatter to deceive again, managing conscionable 3 shots passim the 90 minutes, nary of which were connected target.

Their tally of 12 points from 18 games is nary astonishment erstwhile you see that Ipswich are inactive yet to triumph astatine location this play aft 9 matches, taking conscionable 4 points from those.

Only 4 teams successful Premier League past person failed to triumph immoderate of their archetypal 10 location games successful a campaign, and 3 of them were relegated.

The Tractor Boys' past outing present was the astir concerning too, arsenic they were thumped 4-0 by Newcastle United, and the fixtures bash not get immoderate easier, with 8 of their adjacent league opponents each being sides chasing either the rubric oregon the apical 4 - Southampton are the lone outlier.

Ipswich Town Premier League form:

Chelsea Premier League form:

Chelsea signifier (all competitions):

Team News

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McKenna switched to a backmost 5 for conscionable the 2nd clip this season, but to small effect arsenic they mislaid astatine Arsenal connected Friday, truthful the Ipswich brag could revert backmost to their accustomed 4-2-3-1 shape.

That whitethorn spot Ben Johnson driblet retired successful spot of either Conor Chaplin oregon Wes Burns, portion Sam Morsy should besides instrumentality aft serving a suspension against Arsenal.

Massimo Luongo missed the crippled done unwellness and remains a uncertainty up of this one, portion Chiedozie Ogbene and George Hirst stay sidelined with much superior setbacks.

No Conference League fixtures until February whitethorn spot Maresca utilise immoderate of his European stars successful the Premier League, particularly with specified a speedy turnaround from Boxing Day.

Christopher Nkunku, Joao Felix and Marc Guiu person been among the champion performers connected the continent, on with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, but helium is presently a uncertainty with a knock.

We say: Ipswich Town 0-3 Chelsea

Chelsea whitethorn person suffered a blip astatine location to Fulham connected Boxing Day, but this is simply a precise favourable fixture for them to get backmost connected track, and support the unit connected Liverpool astatine the top.

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