Ipswich Town

Manchester United drew at Ipswich in November, in Ruben Amorim's first game in charge.

Three months on, Ipswich will head to Old Trafford thinking they have a decent chance of beating them. No-one fears United at the moment.

You just do not know which United side is going to turn up and, in the first half against Everton on Saturday, they were absolutely woeful.

United do deserve some credit for the way they fought back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at Goodison Park - but I am not convinced by them at all.

Ipswich ended up losing 4-1 to Tottenham at the weekend but they created a ridiculous amount of chances in that game, and they will get opportunities here too because Liam Delap is such a handful.

A win for the Tractor Boys would be huge, especially now the gap to fourth-bottom Wolves has grown to five points, but despite United's many problems I just have a feeling Amorim will get a win, somehow.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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Ipswich were the last side to beat Manchester United at Old Trafford in the league in a game the hosts led at half-time - in May 1984. United are unbeaten in 388 such games since then.

Meanwhile, United are unbeaten in their past seven home league games against Town, and have won the past three by an aggregate score of 15-0.

Richard Woodward
Fan writer

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How badly must an established Premier League club be run to get relegated these days?

I had to look back nearly 10 years to find the last instance - sorry, Newcastle fans. Coincidentally, that 2015-16 season was also when Leicester shocked the world by winning the title. Isn't it depressing that both those situations are just as unlikely to reoccur today?

Back in April 2021, the mooted European Super League plans triggered the collective anger of football fans. The disregard for open competition by removing the consequence of failure understandably offended most of us.

Thankfully, the Super League never came to be. But we do have a Premier League with its relegation places yet again comprising the three promoted clubs. It hardly screams 'fair competition', does it?

And while it is easy to just blame money, most football clubs in the top two tiers are now well backed. Yes, it is still an unlevel playing field and yes, PSR enforcement could have done more, but big clubs with big resources have dominated the pyramid forever.

What I theorise as a more underestimated cause of the competitive imbalance is the approach to refereeing.

While much has been done to rightly protect star players from vicious fouls, the consequence is matches stripped of any blood and thunder. Fixtures are officiated to prevent the promoted upstarts from bringing their illustrious opposite numbers down a peg or two. That wasn't my experience watching my club's last spell in the top league.

So welcome to the era of the 'Premier League foul', the era of feigning head injuries to halt opposition counter-attacks, the era of simulation being completely ignored. But only for those lucky tenured elite.

If you have recently thrived in the Championship, where the physical battle is the minimum weekly requirement to get points, forget everything you know.

At least until the following May.

Find more from Richard Woodward at the Blue Monday Podcast, external

Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Premier League game against Manchester United at Old Trafford (19:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• McKenna said Kalvin Phillips and Jens Cajuste will have scans this afternoon after the midfield pair were both substituted with injuries against Tottenham on Saturday. He did not rule either out of Wednesday's game but will not have a timescale until after the assessment.

• He added Conor Chaplin is "making progress" and trained with the group today, while Julio Enciso is "working with physios" but there is "no real change" in terms of a return date.

• Ben Godfrey's half time substitution against Spurs was due to his early yellow card and the defender "trained well today and came in with a good attitude".

• On reacting to the 4-1 home defeat by Spurs: "It's been fine. I didn't feel it. We're not going to be dancing and signing after losing home games but we came out on the wrong side of a harsh scoreline. It was disappointing the way the game ended up but we've taken a lot of positives from it."

• On the visit to Old Trafford: "Now we have a big game to focus on on Wednesday. There's a great energy around the training ground today, everyone is really excited. It's the standout one on the calendar for sure."

• More on returning to the club where he worked as part of the coaching staff between 2016 and 2021: "The opportunity to go and compete there in a league game is fantastic for the football club, for the group of players, and for the staff. It's a stadium that many of us will have grown up watching football at and be inspired by. You want the players to feel nothing but excitement and good feelings towards the game."

Follow all of Monday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Ipswich and Tottenham..

Here are some of your comments:

Ipswich fans

Paul: Too many changes every game and Kieran McKenna needs to find a settled first XI. Defence is weak though and we are not scoring enough so that is a recipe for relegation. A step too far this season after two amazing seasons but proud of the club and we will bounce back next year.

Tony: Ipswich have to play with a back three, if only to accommodate Leif Davis at left-back. There is an argument to use a traditional left-back in both away and home matches but needs must. We have a good right-back in Axel Tuanzebe once he is back in the fold. Once Sammie Szmodics is back, it will strengthen the left but Omari Hutchinson is far more effective on the right.

Oscar: £130m spent to attempt to stay in the Premier League is an obscene amount of money and proves you need more than money to create a winning team. This is a disjointed squad with McKenna not knowing how to manage them all. Ben Godfrey would run through trees at Norwich and Everton and their fans loved him. Here he looks clueless - that has to come from the coaching team.

Alex: For all his good work, Liam Delap needs to pass. Should have been two up in the first five minutes and then twice we allowed Son Heung-min too much time. Criminal. Have to question the team selection.

Spurs fans

Richard: Nervy start, and never comfortable until the third goal, but winning becomes a habit. High energy from Destiny Udogie, great finishing from Brennan Johnson and Son was close to his impactful best. Three more first-teamers to come back. Let's think positively.

Andy: Wow - a run of three wins in a row! But I don't care about the league table anymore. What's important is that we have most of our players back with plenty to choose from as we go into the serious phase of the Europa League knockouts. It's good to see us being sharper and putting chances away, which we will need to if we are to get that trophy. I now feel it is well within reach.

John: A win is a win. But Ipswich had 17 shots and five on target. It's a lottery how Spurs play. Both teams have loads of shots and it just depends who gets lucky. Sorry Ange - nothing has changed.

Paul: From the abyss, we have seen Djed Spence and Archie Gray step up and be counted. We have a long way to go to compete with the elite, but what a foundation. So, it's 'One small step for Ange - one giant leap for Tottenham'.

Highlights and analysis from Saturday's seven Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from Friday's game between Leicester and Brentford.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Arsenal 0-1 West Ham

• Aston Villa 2-1 Chelsea

Alex Brotherton
BBC Sport journalist

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Ipswich Town can't have many more days like this, and manager Kieran McKenna knows it.

The Tractor Boys mauled Tottenham in the opening stages, with Liam Delap going close on three occasions.

The visitors were on the ropes, but Ipswich couldn't take advantage. Spurs' opener against the run of play rocked their confidence, and from then on McKenna's side were chasing the game.

"We had a great start to the game. I thought we were the better team in the first half, but we were not able to cash in on a good start," McKenna told BBC Match of the Day.

"Their execution was top and our defending in those moments wasn't good enough. They were clinical.

"We're into February and the games start to tick along and we need to pick up points."

Wolves' defeat of Bournemouth means Ipswich are now third bottom of the table and five points adrift of safety. If they are to escape relegation then they will have to take their chances when the come.

Image source, Getty Images

Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna, speaking to Sky Sports: "We started well. We had so many good opportunities. Millimeters again from taking the lead.

"If we get the first goal we are able to defend well and defend with stability. It is frustrating for us, a first half performance which we should have the lead.

"The quality of their execution when they got their moments contrasted to the other end wasn't good enough - that was the difference.

"The response was pretty good. They managed the disappointment of the two goals pretty good.

"We got a good goal back and went in at half-time with good confidence. I thought we were right there until they got the third.

"We had some good opportunities around the box, but we weren't able to produce the quality.

"Of course, it is frustrating the margins have been small. Especially in the home games, we could have had a lot more points on the board - it is, what it is.

"The margins are small and if you don't execute it right the quality of the team will punish you.

"The group is improving. But, of course, it's getting to the latter stages of the season and we want points on the board not performances."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Ipswich's performance

What did you make of Tottenham's display?

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Ipswich got a great battling point against Aston Villa last week but wins are what they need in their situation at the bottom of the table.

They beat Tottenham earlier in the season to get their first victory of the campaign and another one would be absolutely massive for them.

I really hope they do it - not for me, but for my daughter's teacher, Mr Fields who is a big Tractor Boys fan. But this game is big for Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou too.

Having James Maddison back fit obviously helps Spurs, and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario also played really well against Manchester United on his return from injury too.

So, while my first thought was that Ipswich could get some joy from playing on the counter-attack, I am going with a draw.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

There are seven Premier League games on Saturday, and we will bring you every moment.

• Everton v Manchester United (12:30)

• Bournemouth v Wolves

• Ipswich v Tottenham

• Southampton v Brighton

• Arsenal v West Ham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Fulham v Crystal Palace

• Aston Villa v Chelsea (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live (coverage will start on 5 Sports Extra)

Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all the action and reaction here

Josh Lobley
BBC Sport journalist

Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Tottenham at Portman Road (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• McKenna confirmed that Sam Morsy, Leif Davis and Sammie Szmodics have all trained and are available. He still needs to "make a decision" on if Connor Chaplin will be ready for the match.

• He gave an update on Julio Enciso's recovery: "He's had some scans - thankfully it's no new significant damage. It just needs a bit of time to settle down. We're not sure how long that will be."

• McKenna has been impressed by January recruit Alex Palmer: "He's a really good communicator and he's comfortable with his game. He knows what he likes to do and how he likes to play the game - he's off to a good start. Don't expect him to be perfect but he is a very good goalkeeper and he's had a great start."

• On opposing manager Ange Postecoglou and the pressure he has been under recently: "He doesn't need [sympathy] from me. He's done brilliantly in his career and he's an excellent manager. He's gone through a spell where there's been a lot of injuries and challenges - he's handled that situation well."

• On what he expects from Saturday's match: "We want to go for a fast start, but Tottenham always go for a fast start, home or away. We need to hit the intensity and set the right tone for the game."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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We asked for your views on the things going on at Ipswich that are being overlooked.

Here are some of your comments:

Rowan: How our attackers aside from Delap need to step up. Delap has been immense this season but he needs support from the likes of Hutchinson, Clarke and Philogene. If we're going to stay up, these players need to contribute.

Peter: Nobody is talking about our lack of goals from the line playing behind Delap. Delap has been a revelation and we must enjoy him whilst he's here as he won't be here next season. However, to survive, we need other players to chip in with goals and this has been lacking. After a positive performance in the FA Cup against Coventry, hopefully Clarke will be able to make that step and Broadhead has consistently looked one of our best technical players since his return to the fold. Hutchinson and Enciso are also capable of delivering and easing the burden on Delap, but the clock is ticking and we need them to now.

James: With many of the bigger clubs bemoaning their lengthy injury lists - I'm mostly looking at you, Ange Postecoglou! - Ipswich's own injury concerns have gone under the radar of the wider footballing public. Kieran McKenna refuses to use the absence of some key players - including Chiedozie Ogbene, Wes Burns and Sammie Szmodics - as an excuse as he looks to plot our path to Premier League safety.

Ipswich Town's English striker striker Liam Delap, 22, remains on Chelsea's radar as they look to sign a striker this summer. (Sun, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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A relegation battle, a new goalkeeper and a dogged point at Aston Villa... the list of hot topics generating much debate goes on.

But you know your club best - so we want you to tell us the one thing - good or bad - that nobody is talking about at Ipswich but really should be.

Let us know here

Image source, Getty Images

Only Everton (63%) have scored a higher share of their Premier League goals this season in the first half of games than Ipswich (61% - 14/23). Meanwhile, Tottenham have conceded a higher share of their goals in the opening 45 minutes than any other side (57% - 21/37).

Manchester United are weighing up a move for Ipswich Town's £40m-rated striker Liam Delap. The 22-year-old, who came through Manchester City's academy, has 10 Premier League goals this season and is also interesting Chelsea. (i Paper), external

Want more transfer news? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport