It's a battle between a promoted team and a legendary squad as Ipswich Town hosts Liverpool in their Premier League opener. We're at Portman Road Stadium, sharing our Premier League odds series and making an Ipswich Town-Liverpool prediction and pick.
Ipswich Town is back in the Premier League for the first time in 22 years after dominating the English Football Club. Amazingly, it is their second promotion in a row. The goal is to avoid relegation. However, manager Kieran McKenna, who led this team to two consecutive promotions, will have his hands full to start this one as his squad faces one of the best teams in the Premier League.
Liverpool did well again last season, winning 24 matches, losing four, and also playing to 10 draws. This was enough to earn them a third-place finish. The Reds hope to continue thriving and will start their season on the road against a team they have not faced in over 20 years.
Unsurprisingly, Liverpool leads the head-to-head series. Liverpool won 37 matches, while Ipswich won 14. Additionally, 21 matches finished in a draw. The last match the teams played took place on May 11, 2002, with Liverpool destroying Ipswich Town 5-0.
Here are the Premier League odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Premier League Odds: Ipswich-Liverpool Odds
Ipswich: +700
Liverpool: -300
Draw: +460
Over 2.5 goals: -257
Under 2.5 goals: _184
How to Watch Ipswich vs. Liverpool
Time: 7:30 AM ET/4:30 AM PT
TV: USA Network
Stream: (Click Here for Free Trial)
Why Ipswich Town Will Win
This is a big deal for Ipswich Town, as they have accomplished something few teams rarely do. Ultimately, getting a promotion in two consecutive seasons is unheard of. But they did it, and their reward was to draw one of the top squads in the Premier League to start their season. They need their offense to get things going.
It all starts with Ben Johnson, who comes in from West Ham and will be one of the top players to watch. If he can get his wheels going, he can help Ipswich Town give Liverpool some trouble. Liam Delap is new after agreeing to a £20 million dollar deal with the Tractor Boys. Significantly, he will be an integral part of this attack core and can definitely give Liverpool fits with his ability to maneuver all over the field. Ipswich Town will likely implement a 4-2-3-1 formation, which usually focuses on attacking. While this can be effective, it can also backfire, allowing players to get past you.
That is why they need their defense to be ready when the time comes to make tackles and snag the ball away. Defender Jacob Greaves will be the player to watch, as his ability to defend in front of the net and make tackles is one of the attributes he carries. Ultimately, he and the rest of the defense will do their best to help goalkeeper Arijanet Muric, who will likely be the starting goalkeeper.
Ipswich Town will win this matchup if their attack formation is successful and they maintain possession of the ball. Then, they need to prevent all the deadly scorers from getting chances.
Why Liverpool Will Win
Liverpool is the heavy favorite in this match because they have some of the best talent in the world. Because of that talent, they have found numerous ways to produce goal-scoring chances.
Mohamed Salah had a tough summer and paid tribute to a fellow Egyptian who passed away. But he overcame adversity and is back to lead Liverpool after scoring 18 goals and 10 assists. Darwin Nunez failed to lead his team to a Copa America win. But he is back to help Liverpool after scoring 11 goals and eight assists last season. Diogo Jota is also a star after scoring 10 goals. Meanwhile, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo each had eight goals last season.
The defense will attempt to continue playing strong. If they can protect their perimeter, they can make things easier for Alisson Becker, one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Becker had 84 saves last season while allowing 29 goals and producing eight clean sheets. But his numbers were down from the previous season, and he looks to bounce back.
Liverpool will win this match if their numerous strikers can produce quality chances. Then, they need to play stout defense and avoid making mistakes.
Final Ipswich Town-Liverpool Prediction & Pick
It would be an amazing story if Ipswich Town could start their Premier League season with a major upset win over the Reds. However, that is a tall order. Basically, everything would need to go right for Ipswich Town. Liverpool simply has far too much talent for Ipswich Town to contend with. While we like McKenna and the job he has done with Ipswich Town, we don't see him leading his squad to victory. Pick Liverpool to win.
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Final Ipswich Town-Liverpool Prediction & Pick: Liverpool: -300
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