Ipswich Town welcome Watford on Wednesday evening, keeping their promotion aspirations alive despite a setback to rivals Norwich City.
Despite a four-match unbeaten streak, Watford are currently 14th in the Championship rankings, while the Tractor Boys are second.
Match preview
On the back of their thrilling 3-2 victory over Southampton, Ipswich were heavily fancied to defeat rivals Norwich City, even when falling behind in the first half.
However, the anticipated turnaround did not come to fruition, their East Anglian foes impressively resisting all that the Tractor Boys had to offer after the break to claim a 1-0 win.
Ipswich deserve minimal criticism at this stage, a consequence of still having won nine of 11 matches and their fate being in their own hands.
That said, losing at Carrow Road marked the first time in the Championship since New Year’s Day that they have failed to score a goal, leaving Kieran McKenna to take stock of how they need to improve.
Although Ipswich have none of the current top six left on their schedule, some tricky-looking fixtures await, starting with Watford on Wednesday.
In the long run, the Hornets have performed far below expectations, winning only two of their last 14 Championship games.
Watford’s recent 1-0 victories against demoted Rotherham United and struggling Birmingham City have given them confidence under caretaker manager Tom Cleverley.
Following the win over the Blues, draws have been reported against Leeds United, West Bromwich Albion, and Preston North End, decreasing Watford’s chances of getting drawn into a relegation battle.
Mathematically, however, a nine-point lead with five games remaining implies that the job is not yet over, especially with trips to Ipswich, Southampton, and Middlesbrough still on the schedule.
Team News
McKenna will consider making several changes to his Ipswich team, with a home game against Middlesbrough coming up on Saturday.
Harry Clarke and Jeremy Sarmiento are expected to return to the right-back and final third positions, respectively.
Ali Al Hamadi could replace Kieffer Moore, who has struggled in recent games and has not scored in four outings.
Cleverly is unlikely to make significant changes to Watford’s current performance, although Mileta Rajovic is a viable choice for a return to the attack.
Cleverley may opt for three centre midfielders and two front-line players, including Ismael Kone.
Ipswich Town’s likely starting lineup: Hladky; Clarke, Woolfenden, Burgess, Davis; Morsy, Luongo; Hutchinson, Chaplin, Sarmiento; Al Hamadi.
Watford’s likely starting lineup: Bachmann; Porteous, Sierralta, Hoedt; Andrews, Kayembe, Dele-Bashiru, Lewis; Kone; Dennis, Rajovic
GET MORE NEWS HERE
Be the first to comment