Only separated by goal difference in the lower ranks Premier League table, Ipswich town And Crystal Palace meet in a crucial bottom half battle at Portman Road on Tuesday evening.

The Tractor Boys’ unbeaten streak ended 0-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, while the Eagles appeared to suffer the same fate against Newcastle United before salvaging a point in dramatic fashion a 1-1 draw.

Game preview

© Imago

The battle for attacking superiority between Forest’s Chris Wood and Ipswichs Liam Delap Things promised to be exciting ahead of Saturday’s clash at the City Ground, although both sets of fans may have felt unfulfilled after a disappointing goalless first half.

However, only four minutes had passed after the restart, Sammie Szmodics pleases Jota Silva in the penalty area, and Wood paid homage to the old style of penalty shootout with a thunderous try down the middle to settle a hard-fought battle in which Kieran McKenna‘s men were far from outplayed, but they lacked the killer instinct in the final third.

Defeat on Forest’s pitch was a rude awakening for Ipswich after they enjoyed a commendable three games unbeaten against Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Leicester City, which saw them drop to 19th in the table.

The unsuccessful quest for a first Premier League home win of the season now continues for McKenna’s side, who are the only team in England’s top flight still waiting for a first win on familiar territory, where there have been four draws in their last five games.

If the hosts don’t keep track of the midweek affair on Tuesday, it would also be their tenth Premier League game in a row without conceding a goal, as they have not kept an opponent at bay since the goalless draw against Brighton & Hove Albion in mid-September .

© Imago

Not one but two stories of defensive redemption were written at Palace’s Selhurst Park base on Saturday afternoon Daniel Munoz submitted his nomination for the Premier League’s worst miss this season Marc Guehi turned around Anthony Gordon‘s cross into his own net.

However, after four of the five minutes of second-half stoppage time had been played, the same combination provided the Eagles’ goal-scoring equalizer when Guehi’s floating shot to the back stick put the ball on the money for Munoz to head home Nick Popeis near the post.

The Colombian’s outstanding aerial performance not only ensured a draw after the defeat, but also propelled the team forward Oliver Glasner‘s troops out of the relegation zone and into 17th place in the table, but only thanks to a better goal difference compared to Ipswich and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Only one of Palace’s last six games has ended in defeat as Glasner’s men look to spark a winter revival and the Eagles have recently discovered a knack for away netting, scoring twice in each of their last three away games in all competitions.

The visitors are yet to concede a first goal of the season on opposition turf, but Palace came out on top in their final showdown against Ipswich, a second-round contest of the 2017-18 EFL Cup James McArthur scored both Eagles goals in a 2-1 win.

Ipswich Town Premier League form:

Crystal Palace Premier League form:

Crystal Palace form (all competitions):

Team news

© Imago

Adding insult to injury for Ipswich was an injury at the City Ground on Sunday where the defender was Axel Tuanzebe was ruled out in the second half with a hamstring injury and McKenna has confirmed he will be a long-term miss.

Tuanzebe joins in Janoi Donacien (Ankle), George Hirst (knee) and Chiedozie Ogbene (Achilles) in the Tractor Boys treatment room, during Calvin Phillips (ankle) and Ben Johnson (Muscle) remain doubtful.

Johnson would be an equal replacement for Tuanzebe in defense, but Harry Clarke He may need to fill the void for the time being, and some necessary rotation further up the pitch should benefit from this Wes Burns And Jack ClarkeThe chances of an attack begin.

In contrast, Palace emerged from the stalemate against Newcastle with no new fitness problems Eberechi Eze After recently returning from a hamstring injury, he was only given 65 minutes off.

Daichi Kamada is serving the final game of his three-game suspension while Matheus Franca (Bar), Chadi Riyadh (knee) and Adam Wharton (Groin) are all out, although the latter two may return sometime next month.

Glasner confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Eze is fit and ready to get back into the starting XI here, and that the injury-plagued midfielder could also get a rare start Cheick Doucour.

Possible Ipswich Town starting line-up:
Muric; H. Clarke, O’Shea, Burgess, Davis; Morsy, Cajuste; Burns, Hutchinson, J. Clarke; Delap

Possible Crystal Palace starting lineup:
Henderson; Lacroix, Chalobah, Guehi; Munoz, Doucoure, Lerma, Mitchell; Eze; Nketiah, Mateta

We say: Ipswich Town 1-2 Crystal Palace

Ipswich have taken on the role of stalemate specialists this Premier League season – particularly at their Portman Road headquarters – and given the weaknesses of both defenses, neither goalkeeper is likely to contribute to their clean sheet record.

However, with the Eagles having started to find a clear advantage on the road and Eze also back fit and firing, we trust Glasner’s side will survive an incredibly close fight and improve their chances of survival at the expense of their hosts.

To data analyze the most likely outcomes, scores and more for this game Please click here.

Previews via email