It should have been a celebratory weekend for Mikel Arteta’s side after their 5-1 drubbing of Crystal Palace, but supporters had little to cheer after pictures of Bukayo Saka on crutches they left after the game.
Arsenal remain in the title hunt, but Saka’s prolonged absence will ensure the next spell is a problem. This was supposed to be the Gunners’ year after their second consecutive finish, but so far the Gods have conspired against Arteta’s challengers.
Still, they will be expected to end the year on a high when they take on newly promoted Tractor Boys. Kieran McKenna has done wonders at Portman Road, but his top-flight adventure currently seems a bridge too far.
Ipswich are 19th in the table with 12 points from 17 games. They were hammered 4-0 at home by Newcastle at the weekend and have lost four of their previous five games.
here it is 90 minutes guide to this Friday night clash.
Head-to-head results Arsenal vs Ipswich (last five games)
Current form (all competitions)
|
arsenal |
Ipswich |
|---|---|
|
Crystal Palace 1-5 Arsenal – 21/12/24 |
Ipswich 0-4 Newcastle – 21/12/24 |
|
Arsenal 3-2 Crystal Palace – 18/12/24 |
Wolves 1-2 Ipswich – 14/12/24 |
|
Arsenal 0-0 Everton – 14/12/24 |
Ipswich 1-2 Bournemouth – 24/12/08 |
|
Arsenal 3-0 Monaco – 12/11/24 |
Ipswich 0-1 Crystal Palace – 03/12/24 |
|
Fulham 1-1 Arsenal – 08/12/24 |
Nottingham Forest 1-0 Ipswich – 30/11/24 |
|
country |
TV channel/live broadcast |
|---|---|
|
united kingdom |
Amazon Prime Video |
|
united states |
fuboTV, nbcsports.com, NBC Sports App, UNIVERSO NOW, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, USA Network, UNIVERSO |
|
canada |
fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network Canada |
The Gunners have suffered a major injury blow with Mikel Arteta confirming on Monday that Bukayo Saka is out for “many weeks” after rupturing his hamstring at Selhurst Park. The winger could be sidelined until March.
Raheem Sterling, who might have mitigated Saka’s absencehe is currently sidelined with a knee injury that will rule him out for several weeks.
On a brighter note, Riccardo Calafiori came off the bench at the weekend after another season and could return to the XI on Friday. Oleksandr Zinchenko could also return to the matchday squad.
Declan Rice impressed on the bench on Saturday and is a safe bet to break into Arteta’s starting line-up.
Arsenal predicted line-up against Ipswich (4-3-3): stripe; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Merino, Odegaard; Martinelli, Havertz, Jesus.
Captain Sam Morsy misses out on Friday after picking up his fifth booking of the season against Newcastle on Saturday. Kalvin Phillips should step into the midfield pivot and partner McKenna, Jens Cajuste.
Ipswich are currently without George Hirst, Axel Tuanzebe and Chiedozie Ogbene due to long-term injury setbacks, but Cieran Slicker is closing in on a return from a muscle injury.
Liam Delap is back from suspension and will replace Conor Chaplin up top.
Ipswich’s predicted line-up against Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Muric; Clarke, O’Shea, Burgess, Davis; Phillips, Cajuste; Burns, Hutchinson, Szmodics; Delap.
Ipswich secured their first Premier League won in more than 20 years when they last visited north London, but while Arsenal are without star man Saka, they still pose a tougher challenge than Tottenham.
Arteta will once again lean on the robustness of his squad in the absence of his superstar winger, with the manager requiring an increase from almost every member of the squad to fill Saka’s void. English has operated as a one-man attack at times this season.
arsenal they will be defined by functionality and efficiency for the next few weeks, and they will have enough to see off Friday’s visitors. However, there are much more difficult challenges ahead.
Prediction: Arsenal 2-0 Ipswich
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2024-12-27 03:00:00
