Ipswich vs Man City Prediction 19 January 2025

🔊 Can Ipswich Town upset another giant of the English Premier League? This season, the "Tractor Boys" have managed to take points from Chelsea (2-0), Manchester United (1-1), Tottenham (2-1), and Aston Villa (2-2). Manchester City is far from their optimal form, and in the upcoming clash, Kieran McKenna's team will be supported by their home crowd (the match will take place at “Portman Road”). In this situation, we will try to analyze all the details to provide you with an accurate prediction.

📊 Head-to-head

Recently, Ipswich Town and Manchester City have hardly crossed paths on the field. Since 2003, the teams have met only once, with that game taking place on August 24th during the second round of the English Premier League. At that time, the "Tractor Boys" were just getting used to the conditions of England's elite division, and thus had no chance against their opponent (1-4).

🔵 Ipswich Town

Ipswich Town, which hadn't played in England's elite division for over 20 years, should be pleased with how they have performed in the first part of the season. Yes, the "Tractor Boys" are in the relegation zone, but just one victory would lift them to seventeenth place in the standings. Moreover, the team is in excellent form, considering their victory over Chelsea (2-0) and a draw with Fulham (2-2). However, Ipswich Town failed to show a decent level of football in the previous round against an unstable Brighton (0-2). Kieran McKenna's charges managed only 0.29 goals according to the xG metric and left many questions with their play. In the upcoming clash, the coaching staff will not be able to count on 5 players, including Sammie Szmodics (4+0) and Conor Chaplin (1+1).

⚪ Manchester City

1 win in 13 matches - such was the disappointing stretch for Manchester City at the end of 2024. The team eventually managed to get out of the crisis, but they are still far from their optimal form. In the previous round, the "Citizens" drew with Brentford (2-2), although by the 82nd minute they were leading by 2 goals. Statistically, the game was very even (2.47-2.10 in xG, 18-21 in total shots). In the standings, there are no significant changes - Manchester City is in sixth place, trailing the top-4 by 3 points. As for injuries, Oscar Bobb, Ruben Dias, and newly crowned Ballon d'Or winner Rodri are still not ready to take the field.

⚽️ Prediction on Goals

Bookmakers believe that the upcoming match will be one of the most high-scoring in the 22nd round of the English Championship. However, we disagree with this opinion. First of all, Manchester City, contrary to expectations, is not currently playing at a level that would help them thrash even an outsider. Secondly, Ipswich Town itself, playing defensively, is quite reliable at the back. Even Chelsea couldn't find a way to break through the "Tractor Boys". Therefore, our betting option is total goals under 3.5.

🚩 Prediction on Corners

Corners are where Manchester City still shows their class. Despite not being in top form, the team approaches the corner flag with enviable frequency (on average 7.8 times per game). Undoubtedly, such high figures are linked to the "Citizens'" style: Pep Guardiola's charges always strive to play dominant football. Considering the difference in team levels, Ipswich Town should relinquish ball possession and focus on quick counterattacks. In this situation, a fairly reliable bet seems to be Manchester City's total corners over 6.5.

📝 Editorial Prediction

According to bookmakers, Manchester City is the obvious favorite in the upcoming clash. However, Pep Guardiola's charges should face serious problems regardless. Firstly, Ipswich Town provides strong resistance at home against almost all opponents. Including the FA Cup, the "Tractor Boys" have played 12 home matches and only lost by a margin of 3+ goals once (0-4 against Newcastle). Secondly, there's a lack of faith in the "Citizens". Erling Haaland isn't scoring, Kevin De Bruyne isn't providing assists, and Rodri's injury has created a huge gap in midfield. All this has seriously undermined the team. Therefore, our key betting option will be Ipswich Town win with a handicap (+2). We wouldn't be surprised if the match ends in a draw. For example, with a score of 1-1.