Ipswich Town will look to continue their magnificent start to the season back in the Championship as they take on Blackburn Rovers at Portman Road on Saturday.
Key Takeaways
- Kieran McKenna’s side have won their last three straight league games, including a 1-0 win away to Southampton on Tuesday
- Rovers have been inconsistent this season and lost 3-1 at home to Sunderland last time out
- The hosts have lost just one of their last five against Blackburn
The Tractor Boys have made a promising start to the campaign as they bid for back-to-back promotions and a spot in the Premier League for the first time since 2001/02. Visitors Blackburn have continued in their underwhelming form from the end of last season and have won just three of their seven league matches.
Ipswich Town Form
A 1-0 victory away to Southampton midweek proved that Ipswich are serious contenders for promotion this season. That is if they can continue in their fine run of form which has seen them record a total of 18 points out of a possible 21 to kick off the season.
McKenna has overseen just one defeat this term as they lost out in a seven-goal thriller at home to Leeds United. Nevertheless, it has been all wins in their other six matches. Scoring a total of 13 goals so far this season means they have joint-second best attacking record in the division.
Blackburn Rovers Form
Inconsistency continues to plague Blackburn as they bid for a return to the top-flight for the first time since 2011/12. Not quite as long as opponents Ipswich but Rovers have flirted with a play-off spot now for the last two seasons. Jon Dahl Tommason’s men need to start picking up a bit of momentum since they are yet to win successive league matches so far this term.
A 1-0 win away to Watford and an 8-0 victory against Harrogate in the EFL Cup appeared to be the shift they needed. However, Blackburn went on to lose 3-0 away to newly-promoted Plymouth Argyle in the following game. A 2-1 triumph at home to a poor Middlesbrough side this season was expected but they suffered a disappointing 3-1 loss at home to Sunderland last time out.
Head-to-Head
It is the hosts who have seen the most success over the visitors in recent meetings and they have lost just one of their last five clashes. However, Blackburn won the last match between the two sides 2-0 when they met in league play in 2019. The last meeting at Portman Road ended in a 2-2 draw.
Team News
Goalkeeper Christian Walton has been absent all season for Ipswich and so Vaclav Hladky will remain in between the sticks. Defender Janoi Donacien has missed the last five games due to a groin injury, whilst Leif Davis is expected to miss out with an ankle issue. Forward Kayden Jackson wasn’t able to make the squad midweek so is in doubt.
It was confirmed that striker Sam Gallagher is set to miss the next six weeks for Blackburn which is a blow to their forward options, especially with Niall Ennis still on the sidelines. Arnor Sigurdsson continues to recover from long-term injury.
Key Players
Nathan Broadhead has four goal contributions in seven league appearances for the Tractor Boys so far this season and will be pushing for a return to the starting line-up after being rested against Southampton. Conor Chaplin will also play a key role up top.
Sammie Szmodics’ brace against Middlesbrough last weekend takes his goal tally to four for the season and he will be the difference maker in the final third for Rovers. 20-year-old Harry Leonard found his second league goal of the campaign against Sunderland in the last match and is an option up top.
Final Thoughts
All the momentum is with Ipswich in this one and they are expected to take all three points against Blackburn on Saturday. McKenna’s side have been good at the back of late too and the away side aren’t in the best of form.
Championship