Ipswich Town will continue their preparations for the 2024-25 Premier League campaign with a pre-season friendly against Borussia Monchengladbach on Friday afternoon.
The Tractor Boys will begin their new Premier League season at home to Liverpool on August 17, while Monchengladbach's Bundesliga campaign will start on August 23 against the champions Bayer Leverkusen.
Match preview
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Monchengladbach are five-time Bundesliga champions and have finished third once and fourth twice in Germany's top flight since 2015, but they were 14th last term, just one point ahead of the relegation playoffs.
Gerardo Seoane's side therefore have plenty of room for improvement in the coming campaign, and there have been positive signs during pre-season, winning each of their four friendlies, including a 1-0 success over Holstein Keil last time out.
Die Fohlen will take on Strasbourg in a double-header next weekend to round off their preparations for the new season, with the team then in German Cup action against Erzgebirge Aue on August 17.
Monchengladbach will officially open their 2024-25 Bundesliga campaign against the champions Bayer Leverkusen on August 23, meanwhile, and it will be fascinating to see how the team performs during the coming season.
Die Borussen have managed to bring in four new players this summer, with their biggest addition providing to be Tim Kleindienst, who has arrived from Heidenheim.
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Ipswich, meanwhile, opened their preparations for the new season with a 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk on July 20, before suffering a 2-1 defeat to Fortuna Dusseldorf on July 27, and they will now play three more times before beginning their 2024-25 Premier League campaign.
The Tractor Boys will face Monchengladbach on Friday and Hoffenheim on Saturday, before concluding their pre-season with a clash against Nice on August 10.
Kieran McKenna's side will begin life back in the top flight against Liverpool on August 17, while their second match of the season is away to the champions Manchester City, so there will be no easing into the new campaign.
Ipswich have made five signings this summer, with Omari Hutchinson, Jacob Greaves, Liam Delap, Arijanet Muric and Ben Johnson arriving to boost the squad.
There have also been departures, but the club have been able to keep their key players from last season, and there are expected to be more incomings before the summer transfer window closes.
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Team News
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Kleindienst scored 14 times for Hoffenheim last season, including 12 goals in the Bundesliga, and the 28-year-old will now be bidding to make his mark for Monchengladbach, with the striker set to lead the line in this match.
Shio Fukuda could also be in line for a spot in the final third of the field, while Florian Neuhaus and Manu Kone should also start.
Head coach Seoane is also expected to hand more minutes to a number of youngsters who will be looking to work their way into the squad for the coming season.
As for Ipswich, Nathan Broadhead is facing two months on the sidelines with a hamstring problem, while Harry Clarke and Ali Al-Hamadi remain unavailable for selection.
Hutchinson and Axel Tuanzebe should be available after missing the clash with Dusseldorf, and there are expected to again be opportunities for fringe players and youngsters to make their mark.
The starting side is expected to be similar to the team's last match, though, with Delap likely to lead the line, while Muric should continue between the sticks.
Borussia Monchengladbach possible starting lineup:
Nicolas; Elvedi, Itakura, Chiarodia, Scally; Weigl, Kone, Neuhaus; Hack, Kleindienst, Fukuda
Ipswich Town possible starting lineup:
Muric; Johnson, Edmundson, Graves, Davis; Morsy, Luongo; Burns, Taylor, Chaplin; Delap
We say: Borussia Monchengladbach 2-2 Ipswich Town
Both managers will view this match as a valuable part of their preparations, and we are expecting it to be a competitive fixture. It could go either way in terms of the scoreline, but we are backing an entertaining score draw.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
