Arsenal vs. Ipswich Town match thread: one last time (in 2024)

Yesterday at 02:14 PM

The Gunners close out the calendar year at the Emirates.

Arsenal host Ipswich Town at the Emirates in their final game of 2024. A win over the newly promoted side would take the Gunners into sole possession of second in the table after Chelsea's loss against Fulham. The Tractor Boys are languishing in 19th place, looking extremely likely to be relegated. Even with Bukayo Saka out with injury, this is a match Arsenal have no excuses not to win.

Ipswich have scored the third-fewest and conceded the fourth-most goals in the Premier League this season. They give up nearly two goals per game and score less than one. That's dreadful. They're only not the worst team in the PL because Southampton are on pace to have the second-worst Premier League season in history on points. Remember, there is no "t" in Ipswich Town. No matter how much your (my) brain wants to add one.

Liam Delap (Rory's son) leads Ipswich in goal contributions (6G, 1A). Fullback Leif Davis (1G, 2A) can provide a threat from the wing, but he has struggled to come close to his production from the Championship (2G, 18A), the same goes for forward Conor Chaplin (1G, 1A in the PL; 13G, 8A in the Championship). Former Arsenal youth player Omari Hutchinson loves to challenge defenders on the dribble and can cause problems with his pace, but like his attacking compatriots at Ipswich, has not come close to matching his output from last season.

On the Arsenal side of things, what Mikel Arteta will do during Bukayo Saka's "many" week absence has been the main topic of conversation. There is no replacing a superstar like-for-like. The Gunners will need players like Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, and Martin Ødegaard to pick up the slack, and they'll have to do it with increased defensive focus on them because Saka isn't drawing double- and triple-teams on the wing. Good thing Arsenal are Set Piece FC, right?

The Gunners will also be without Raheem Sterling, who is set to miss weeks (although not as many as Saka) with a knee injury picked up in training. Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are longer-term absentees. Oleksandr Zinchenko returns to the matchday squad after his time on the shelf.

Ipswich Town are dinged up, too. Midfielder Axel Tuanzebe is out for a while with a hamstring injury. Attacker George Hirst is out with a knee problem. Forward Chiedozie Ogbene is out for the season with an Achilles tear. Massimo Luongo misses out with illness. They'll also be without Sam Morsy, who is suspended for yellow card accumulation.

WHO: Arsenal vs Ipswich Town
WHAT: Premier League match day 18
WHEN: Friday, December 27th, 3:15pm EST/12:15pm PST/8:15pm GMT
WHERE: The Emirates Stadium, London
HOW TO WATCH: Broadcast live on The USA Network

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Arsenal - Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly, Rice, Havertz, Ødegaard, Martinelli, Trossard, Jesus

Ipswich Town - Muric, Johnson, O'Shea, Woolfenden, Greaves, Davis, Phillips, Cajuste, Hutchinson, Szmodics, Delap