Ipswich Town v Manchester City: The Opposition
01/18/2025 07:45 AM
A Look at City's Weekend Opponents
Manchester City travel to Portman Road as they look to extend their unbeaten run to six matches against the Premier League strugglers.
A win for the Blues could put them back in contention for a Champions League place, while defeat may see them drop as low as 8th in the league, depending on results elsewhere. Ipswich are desperate for the points as they battle against relegation. Victory for them could take them out of the bottom three, while another home loss will leave them scrambling to avoid the dreaded drop.
Form
Ipswich have won just once at home in the league all season and that solitary victory came at the end of 2024 as the Tractor Boys beat Chelsea 2-0 at Portman Road. Their recent unbeaten run of three matches, which started with the win over Chelsea, ended on Thursday when Brighton won 2-0 at Portman Road, inflicting their sixth home defeat of the season.
Their heaviest home defeat so far was a 4-0 thrashing by Newcastle just before Christmas and they have conceded 18 goals in the league this season, scoring just eight. They have failed to score on five occasions at home and have kept just one clean sheet in the league so far at Portman Road.
Ones to Watch
Former City star Liam Delap will have a point to prove if he lines up against his former club on Sunday. Signed from the Blues in the summer, Delap has hit eight goals so far this season from 20 matches. He has at shot accuracy of 51% and a goal conversion rate of 23%.
Delap also has two assists this season, which makes the former academy star the man to stop should City want to come away with the three points.
The Boss
Kieran McKenna is the man at the helm at Portman Road. He has been in charge of Ipswich since 2021 and guided the Tractor Boys to back to back promotions from League One to the Premier League.
McKenna has managed 154 matches, winning 79 and losing 31, giving him a win ratio of 51%.
Last Time at Portman Road
City have an abysmal record at Portman Road but the last time they visited ended in a 4-1 win for the Blues. An FA Cup fourth round tie saw Kevin Keegan's Blues, top of the Championship, face the Premier League's bottom club.
Goals by Eyal Berkovic, a Shaun Goater brace and a late goal by Darren Huckerby secured a 4-1 victory for the Blues.
