Ipswich Town vs Liverpool: Betting tips and analysis

(Featured image: Alamy Images)

Written by: Brad Walker

Back-to-back promotions sees the return of Premier League football to Portman Road this season as Ipswich Town once again dine at football's top table.

Their reward is an opening day meeting with Liverpool who, somewhat humorously, find themselves filling the early kick-off slot on the opening weekend of the campaign. If you listen closely, you can hear the cackles of the recently departed Jurgen Klopp in the distance...

Tale of the tape

Ipswich Town

It's hard to knock the achievements of Kieran McKenna's Ipswich Town side over the previous two seasons — unless, of course, you have a strong love for Canaries and your favourite celebrity chef is Delia Smith.

The club were meandering in League One when the Northern Irishman walked through the door in December 2021. Now, they are preparing for their first top-flight campaign in 23 years.

Coinicidentally, their most recent Premier League outing came against Saturday's opponents. A 5-0 drubbing at Anfield, which included a John Arne Riise double, concluded a dismal 2001/02 campaign for the Tractor Boys which ended in relegation to English football's second tier.

It has largely been doom and gloom since for Ipswich until McKenna's appointment, the pinnacle of which came with their promotion back to the Premier League following a 2-0 home victory over Huddersfield on the final day of last season.

Town fans were made to sweat amid Manchester United and Chelsea's reported interest in their beloved manager but they can now rest easy ahead of their opening game on Saturday.

Ipswich fans will be grateful to see Kieran McKenna remain in the Portman Road dugout this season. (Photo credit: Alamy Images)

Liverpool

Liverpool fans know all about having to wave goodbye to an adored commander-in-chief, having watched club legend Klopp ride off into the sunset at the end of the 2023-24 campaign.

Dutch head coach Arne Slot hopes to fill the hefty clogs Klopp leaves behind and will be eager to hit the ground running with victory in his first competitive match as Reds boss this weekend.

Slot received wide praise during his time at Feyenoord in his native Netherlands and was renowned for both his tactical versatility and ability to make the most of the squad put in front of him, rather than being overly reliant on getting players through the door.

Reds fans will be crossing fingers and toes that continues in L4, given they are the only Premier League club yet to make a major signing so far this summer.

Ipswich vs Liverpool: Betting tips and analysis

Uncertainty remains over the defensive midfield area in this Liverpool side. A collapsed move for Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi leaves Slot and co in search for a permanent solution in that role, despite the positive showing of Wataru Endo in that position for a large portion of last season.

Endo, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch have all plied their trade in the 'six' throughout pre-season. It was former Ajax and Bayern Munich midfielder Gravenberch who started Liverpool's recent friendly against Sevilla at Anfield though, as part of a team which looked like Slot's first-choice eleven seven days out from the meeting at Portman Road.

Gravenberch has failed to convince since arriving at Anfield last summer and will be a player Ipswich will surely pinpoint to exploit should he start. Attacking midfielder Conor Chaplin will particularly push to make life difficult for the Dutchman as he looks for joy in-between the Liverpool midfield and defence.

No Ipswich player registered more shots on target than the Englishman's 40 last season and, given the question marks around Liverpool in the centre of the park, I'd back him to be presented with opportunities to test Alisson Becker in the away goal this weekend.

Another man to keep an eye on is Reds forward Diogo Jota. The Portuguese international has struggled with numerous injuries since making the move to Merseyside but still mustered 10 league goals last season, averaging one every 116 minutes.

He comes into the game on the back of a sublime volley versus Sevilla last weekend and is always a safe bet to find the back of the net when fit.

Odds Now's bets bets for Ipswich Town vs Liverpool

Conor Chaplin 1.5+ shots on target @ 7/1 (Bet365)

Diogo Jota anytime goalscorer @ 8/5 (PaddyPower)