Liverpool vs Ipswich Town: Premier League Match preview

Liverpool host Ipswich Town at Anfield

Liverpool welcome Ipswich Town to Anfield on matchday 23 of the Premier League on Saturday, January 25th, at 15:00 local time as they look to extend their advantage on top of the league table over Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, both of whom are level on points and separated by goal difference.

Ipswich are 18th in the Premier League and are looking increasingly likely to be relegated, so their precarious situation will see them come to Merseyside with a very defensive mindset. As such, Kieran McKenna will be the happier manager if side can avoid defeat on their first league visit to Anfield in over a decade.

Team News

Liverpool

Liverpool have no suspension problems coming into the match but are expected to miss three players due to fitness problems. Curtis Jones, Diogo Jota and Joe Gomez are sidelined for the near future and will miss the game. A number of Liverpool’s players were rested against Lille in the midweek game, on the other hand, and should be fresh for the Ipswich clash.

Mohamed Salah has 31 goals and assists in the Premier League this season and will look to add to his tally after blanking in the last couple of fixtures. Cody Gakpo is also likely to start having been benched in the midweek game, whereas Darwin Nunez might drop to the bench in spite of scoring twice in stoppage time in the previous weekend’s league outing.

PREDICTED LIVERPOOL XI (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Diaz

Ipswich Town

Like their opponents, Ipswich Town will also be without three players due to injury problems. Chiedozie Ogbene, Conor Chaplin and Sammie Szmodics are those expected to be out of Kieran McKenna’s roster. The Tractor Boys could field a very defensive starting eleven against Liverpool with five players at the back, though Szmodics would still be a big miss.

Ipswich have lost their last two league games, conceding eight times in the process, but claimed a 2-0 success against Chelsea some weeks ago. Liverpool, however, should avoid such a shock defeat in an ideal world but would need to worry about Liam Delap, who has contributed to 50% of the away team’s goals this season in the Premier League.

PREDICTED IPSWICH TOWN XI (5-4-1): Walton; Johnson, Godfrey, O’Shea, Burgess, Davis; Hutchinson, Morsy, Cajuste, Clarke; Delap

Match-deciding duel

Cody Gakpo vs Ben Johnson

Ipswich Town will know just how big of a threat Mohamed Salah is and will look to compound his frustration from the last two Premier League games by tightly being around the Egyptian international. That would allow Cody Gakpo with more freedom and opportunities to attack down the left side against Ben Johnson, Ipswich’s potential right back.

Gakpo is not in bad form by any means and could very possibly make the difference against Ipswich if indeed their defensive game plan largely revolves around keeping Salah dormant.

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Prediction

Liverpool 3-0 Ipswich Town

Liverpool have not been quite as free-scoring as Manchester City this season but have found the back of the net consistently and comfortably more often than not. Arne Slot’s men should have enough in their tank to beat Ipswich rather easily.