⚽Arsenal vs Ipswich Town
⏱️English Premier League, KO: 20:15 Dec 27, 2024, Emirates Stadium
Arsenal go head-to-head against Ipswich on Friday. Read our Predictions and Betting Tips with Match Preview, Head-to-head stats (h2h) and Team Form Analysis.
Our prediction for this Premier League match
Arsenal welcome Ipswich Town at their Emirates Stadium in the closing match of the Premier League round 18. The Gunners aim to build on a thrilling 5-1 win over Crystal Palace and they are seen as hot favourites to win this festive fixture. Bukayo Saka should be fit for Thursday’s clash despite limping off with injury against Palace, while both Benjamin White and Tomiyasu Takehiro remain in the recovery room.
The Lions, on the other hand, struggled defensively in a 4-0 loss to Ipswich Town and given Arsenal’s signs of improvement, anything but a routine home win would be a big surprise. In their last meeting at Emirates Stadium, back in 2011, Arsenal defeated Ipswich 3-0 in the EFL Cup and we predict that history is going to repeat itself. Liam Delap is back from suspension, while Sam Morsey serves a one-game ban due to the accumulation of yellow cards, speaking of the visiting team.
How the bookies view it: Gunners hot favourites
Unsurprisingly, Arsenal are overwhelming 1/7 favourites on Boylesports to bank all three points on Friday night.
Ipswich Town arrive in the capital as mammoth 16/1 outsiders on Boylesports, while an all square affair in the capital is also considered improbable at 7/1 with the same PHMAYA Bookmaker.
Arsenal vs Ipswich Prediction
Arsenal and Ipswich Town will drop the curtain on the Boxing Day schedule on Friday evening at Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners enter the tie on a high following a 5-1 thumping of Crystal Palace in the small London derby in the last game of Saturday’s Premier League schedule.
Gabriel Jesus confirmed his excellent spell of form by completing a brace at Selhurst Park. The Brazilian forward bagged five goals in two clashes against Crystal Palace within the last eight days across competitions.
The win helped Arsenal close the gap behind Chelsea in second place of the Premier League ladder to just two points.
The only downside of the last weekend’s win was Bukayo Saka’s injury. The English winger will be sidelined for weeks.
It should not bother Arsenal in the home tie against Ipswich Town, though. The visitors are among the weakest teams in the league.
They sit second from bottom in the league table and they’ll go into this off the back of a tough 0-4 home loss at the hands of Newcastle.
This should be a one-sided contest from the first to the final whistle. Arsenal are flying high after a 5-1 drubbing of Crystal Palace while Ipswich Town fell 0-4 at home to Newcastle at the weekend.
The Gunners have five wins and three draws in eight home matches in this term of the Premier League.
Ipswich also lost four of the previous five league fixtures. They failed to find the back of the net in three of these four defeats.
The main bet is Arsenal to win by three or more goals difference at the 2.10 odds while you can get the red-hot Gabriel Jesus to score anytime at the 2.20 odds.
Players to watch: More joy for Jesus?
Gabriel Jesus has rediscovered his shooting boots in the lead up to Christmas, firing in five goals across Arsenal’s two league and cup wins over Crystal Palace. Thus, the Brazilian forward merits support to get on the scoresheet against relegation-threatened Ipswich at even-money(1/1) on Boylesports.
Omari Hutchinson has been booked in four of his 16 Premier League appearances for Ipswich this season. The 21-year-old is 4/1 on Boylesports to go into the referee’s notebook during this festive contest.
Predicted line-ups
Arsenal have been dealt a major blow after Bukayo Saka suffered a torn hamstring against Crystal Palace. The Arsenal ace has been joined by Raheem Sterling in the Gunners’ treatment room.
Sam Morsy will sit this one out for Ipswich after collecting his fifth yellow card of the season against Newcastle, however Liam Delap will come off the naughty step after serving his own one-game suspension last weekend.
Arsenal: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Jesus, Havertz, Martinelli
Ipswich: Muric; Clarke, O’Shea, Burgess, Davis; Phillips, Cajuste; Burns, Chaplin, Hutchinson; Al Hamadi