Brentford remain firmly in the European mix, sitting ninth – just one point off Bournemouth in eighth and two ahead of Fulham in 11th.
Their away form is red-hot: unbeaten in five and winners in six of their last eight on the road. That is a huge turnaround from taking just two points from their first nine away games – since then, they have collected 19. They have kept six clean sheets on the road (three against bottom-four sides) and failed to score in just three.
Goals have followed them too – 65% of away games have gone over 2.5, with both teams scoring in 10 of 17.
Motivation stays high with the Europa and Conference League places potentially extending down to 8th, depending on where Newcastle and Man City finish and whether City win the FA Cup. Brentford are right in the hunt.
Ipswich are already relegated, but there has been no drop-off in effort. They were full value for a point at Everton and had chances to win it. Notably, they shifted from their usual setup to a very attacking line up featuring five forward thinking players. The pressure is off, but the motivation to reward home fans remains, with manager Kieran McKenna calling for a strong finish.
Still, the numbers at Portman Road are bleak: just one win all season (W1-D4-L12), a single clean sheet, and an average of 2.35 goals conceded per home game. They have lost seven straight at home, with a brutal aggregate score line of 24–5.
How the bookies view it: Bees to sting
Brentford are priced at 8/13 to take all three points, with the draw at 7/2 and Ipswich out at 9/2.
The market expects goals—both teams to score is as short as 8/13, while over 2.5 goals is trading at 8/15, implying around a 64% chance.
Ipswich’s price is notably high. They have only gone off at longer odds at home in four matches this season—against Liverpool, Chelsea, Man City, and Arsenal. For comparison, Newcastle were 8/11 at Portman Road, and Forest went off at 1/1.
Head to head: Goals on the agenda
Brentford have a strong record against Ipswich, going W5-D4-L2 in their last 11 meetings. However, the Tractor Boys have been tough to beat at Portman Road, losing just once in their last five home games against the Bees, with both teams scoring in four of those. Their last encounter was a thriller at the Gtech, where Brentford came from 2-0 down to win 4-3 in a wide-open contest.
Players to watch: Fouls at full back
Jacob Greaves has started at left back in each of the last two games following Leif Davis’ red card, with Conor Townsend still injured. He’s committed 1 and 2 fouls in those appearances and is set for a tough afternoon against Bryan Mbeumo, who has drawn a foul in seven straight Premier League games and 11 in total across his last five (2.2 per game).
Greaves could also find himself challenged by overlapping full-back Michael Kayode, who was fouled once in his last match and isn’t shy about getting forward. With both Mbeumo and Kayode running at him, Greaves looks a strong contender in the foul market again this weekend.
Predicted line-ups
Brentford have received a boost on the injury front, with Aaron Hickey and Igor Thiago both returning to full training after extended spells on the sidelines.
However, there’s less positive news regarding Vitaly Janelt, who is expected to miss the rest of the season due to a heel injury. He is joined on the injury list by former Liverpool midfielder Fabio Carvalho, who is also unlikely to feature again this term after sustaining a shoulder issue.
Ipswich are finally getting key players back from injury with Omari Hutchinson starting last weekend with Kalvin Phillips and Axel Tuanzebe both featuring from the bench. Ben Johnson is back from suspension but they are still without a recognised left back with Leif Davies suspended and Conor Townsend injured.
Brentford: Flekken; Kayode, Collins, van den Berg, Lewis Potter; Norgaard, Yarmolyuk; Mbeumo, Damsgaard, Schafer; Wissa
Ipswich Town: Palmer; Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Burgess, Greaves; Hutchinson, Morsy, Cajuste, Clarke, Enciso; Delap
Anything else catch the eye?
Excluding matches against the top four, Ipswich have scored in 10 of their 13 home games. Brentford, meanwhile, have failed to score in just three away outings all season.
Ipswich are also starting to get key players back from injury, which has been a major factor in their recent performances.
Over 2.5 goals is understandably short at 8/15, but combining it with both teams to score bumps the price to 5/6 – good value in what looks set to be an open, attacking game.
This English Premier League match between Ipswich Town and Brentford will be played on and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Ipswich Town vs Brentford prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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