Ipswich Town vs Arsenal

Portman Road is the venue as Ipswich Town and Arsenal face off against each other in a lopsided Premier League encounter.

Despite facing the inevitable prospect of immediate relegation to the Championship, Ipswich left West London with bitter taste last weekend after squandering a two-goal cushion in a 2-2 draw at Chelsea. A loss here, combined with victories for West Ham and Wolverhampton, would seal their fate this weekend. While they’ll be eager to hold up their end of the bargain, a dismal 14-game winless league streak against upcoming rivals Arsenal cannot inspire much confidence (D3, L11). Ominously, their last four H2Hs in that sequence yielded defeats ‘to nil,’ threatening to undermine their impressive run of finding the net in 11 of their last 12 outings in all competitions. Worryingly, lapses of concentration in the latter stages have seen Ipswich concede the Premier League’s second-most 24 goals beyond the hour mark this season.

Visiting Arsenal may have to settle for a third consecutive runner-up finish in the Premier League. Yet, they should make this journey to Suffolk in a buoyant mood following an incredible 2-1 win at Real Madrid. As 5-1 aggregate winners, Arsenal booked their first Champions League semi-final date since 2009. However, the Gunners’ formidable continental run has taken its toll on their domestic form, with Liverpool on the cusp of beating them to the title. Losing an away league H2H for the first time since 1984 would see Mikel Arteta’s charges lose the title race this weekend. Yet, the visitors haven’t lost any of their last six away league matches (W3, D3). Furthermore, they head into proceedings on a ten-game winning streak against Premier League sides starting the round in the drop zone.