Ipswich Town host Brighton & Hove Albion at Portman Road on Thursday night, with both sides looking to build on emphatic FA Cup wins. While Brighton are desperate to end their Premier League winless streak, Ipswich aim to keep their survival hopes alive with another positive result.
Match Details
- Location: Portman Road, Ipswich, England
- Date: Thursday, January 16
- Kick-off Time: 19:30 GMT / 14:30 ET / 11:30 PT
- Referee: Tony Harrington
- VAR: Michael Salisbury
Recent Form
| Ipswich | Brighton |
|---|---|
| Ipswich 3-0 Bristol Rovers | Norwich 0-4 Brighton |
| Fulham 2-2 Ipswich | Brighton 1-1 Arsenal |
| Ipswich 2-0 Chelsea | Aston Villa 2-2 Brighton |
| Arsenal 1-0 Ipswich | Brighton 0-0 Brentford |
| Ipswich 0-4 Newcastle | West Ham 1-1 Brighton |
Team News
Ipswich Town
- Out:
- Omari Hutchinson (groin): Missed the FA Cup win and remains unavailable.
- Sammie Szmodics (ankle): A key creative outlet, ruled out.
- Chiedozie Ogbene (Achilles): Season-ending injury.
- Axel Tuanzebe, Conor Chaplin: Both sidelined.
- Key Player: Liam Delap has been a standout performer this season and will lead the line.
Predicted Lineup (5-2-3):
Walton; Johnson, O’Shea, Woolfenden, Greaves, Davis; Morsy, Cajuste; Broadhead, Delap, Clarke.
Brighton & Hove Albion
- Out:
- Joao Pedro (ankle): Recent injury sidelines him for a few games.
- Ferdi Kadioglu, James Milner, Jack Hinshelwood, Diego Gomez: All unavailable.
- Doubts: Georginio Rutter, Yankuba Minteh.
- Returning:
- Lewis Dunk, Tariq Lamptey, Danny Welbeck: All expected to feature.
- Key Player: Danny Welbeck’s return offers a boost to Brighton’s attack.
Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1):
Verbruggen; Veltman, Dunk, Van Hecke, Estupinan; Baleba, Ayari; Gruda, Enciso, Mitoma; Welbeck.
Prediction
Brighton’s winless run in the Premier League has dragged them into the bottom half of the table, but their performances suggest they’ve been unlucky rather than poor. Meanwhile, Ipswich’s recent resilience at home has helped them climb off the foot of the table, but the absences of Szmodics and Hutchinson leave them light on creativity.
Brighton’s attacking quality, boosted by Welbeck’s return, should see them break their league drought. Ipswich will fight hard, but Brighton’s superior depth and quality should prove decisive.
Score Prediction: Ipswich 1-3 Brighton
Brighton’s victory could reignite their league campaign, while Ipswich will look to regroup for upcoming winnable fixtures in their survival battle.
