Reuniting just a couple of weeks on from a dramatic FA Cup affair, Ipswich Town and Nottingham Forest are back in Premier League action at Portman Road on Saturday afternoon.
The Tractor Boys set an unwanted club record in their 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace last time out, while Nuno Espirito Santo's men demonstrated their Champions League credentials yet again in a terrific win over Manchester City.
Match preview
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Potentially a harbinger of doom for the remainder of the season, Ipswich have now failed to win their first nine games of a calendar year for the first time in the club's history after succumbing to an Ismaila Sarr strike at Selhurst Park last week.
Kieran McKenna's men were doing an adequate job of keeping a Jean-Philippe Mateta-less Crystal Palace side at bay until Sarr's moment of individual brilliance in the final 10 minutes, while Eagles number one Dean Henderson also came up with several vital saves to keep Ipswich out.
McKenna could certainly have taken the positives from that spirited display in the English capital, but the Ipswich boss would rather have taken at least a point home instead, as the East Anglian outfit remain in deep danger in 18th place in the Premier League rankings.
Six points separate Ipswich from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the safety of 17th place, and the Tractor Boys are currently in an unwanted club of their own; they are the only team in England's top-four divisions still waiting for their first league win of 2025.
The hosts had hitherto given themselves at least a fighting chance of success thanks to their scoring exploits, but their 1-0 loss to Palace ended their seven-game run of netting at least one goal, whereas they have conceded at least two in each of their last four defeats at Portman Road.
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As England boss Thomas Tuchel prepares to name his first Three Lions squad for March's World Cup qualifiers, Callum Hudson-Odoi - one of his former proteges at Chelsea - stuck his hand up for a call-up with the critical goal to sink reigning champions Man City last weekend.
Lighting up a dull contest otherwise consigned to the back pages of the football annals, Hudson-Odoi beat Ederson at his near post to propel the Tricky Trees to another statement victory, one that ended their three-game losing run in the top flight in breathtaking fashion.
Forest's top-four credentials may have been called into question after taking just one point from nine on offer before the visit of City, but the Garibaldi remain safe in third place and only have a four-point disadvantage to make up to a striker-less Arsenal in the runners-up position.
The ever-smiling Santo will now take charge of his 50th Premier League match as Forest head coach on Saturday, although recent history suggests that it may not be a memorable milestone for the Portuguese, as the visitors have been beaten in each of their last three top-flight away games.
However, Forest have already got one over Ipswich on two occasions this season, conquering the Tractor Boys 1-0 in the Premier League in November and on penalties in the FA Cup fifth round less than a fortnight ago, where Jack Taylor was the unfortunate soul to see his spot kick saved by Matz Sels.
Team News
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It should be as you were on the injury front for Ipswich this weekend, as Axel Tuanzebe (thigh), Arijanet Muric (shoulder), Chiedozie Ogbene (Achilles), Wes Burns (knee), Sammie Szmodics (ankle) and Conor Chaplin (knee) are still in the infirmary.
Tuanzebe might be in with a shot of returning just after the international break, but Dara O'Shea is likely to continue at centre-back for the time being, allowing Luke Woolfenden to continue centrally alongside Jacob Greaves.
Further up the field, star striker Liam Delap will incur a two-match ban if he picks up a yellow card here, having already been booked nine times in the Premier League - no surprise given he has committed more fouls than any other player this season (60).
There has also been no change to Forest's injury situation, and Santo should only be missing number two goalkeeper Carlos Miguel (hamstring) for the trip to Portman Road this weekend.
After comfortably keeping Man City at arm's length last Saturday, the Tricky Trees manager will surely see no reason to alter his starting XI, as Morgan Gibbs-White edges closer to club history.
By setting up Hudson-Odoi's winner last weekend, Gibbs-White registered his 39th Premier League goal involvement for Forest, just five shy of Ian Woan's club record of 44.
Ipswich Town possible starting lineup:
Palmer; O'Shea, Woolfenden, Greaves, Davis; Cajuste, Phillips; Hutchinson, Enciso, Philogene; Delap
Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:
Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Anderson, Dominguez; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
We say: Ipswich Town 0-2 Nottingham Forest
The sturdy Forest backline fears no foe, and even though Delap can be a handful for a lot of defenders to deal with, Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic are seemingly well-equipped to keep him in check.
At the other end, McKenna's leaky defence will surely be exposed on more than one occasion, and a straightforward victory for Forest is the only outcome we can envisage here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
