Before The Whistle: Fulham v Ipswich Town
Written by Drew Heatley on 3rd January 2025
Fulham and Ipswich don’t face each other much – especially in the league.
This is only our 26th meeting in the league ever – though nine of those have come in the last decade or so.
In the Championship we had the better of the Tractor Boys – winning our last four in a row, but we couldn’t get the job done at Portman Road at the end of August, drawing 1-1.
This time round, both sides have settled into the campaign. While Ipswich sit in the relegation zone, they’re just a point from safety and are very much in with a chance of survival. And having just beat Chelsea (handshake emoji), they’ll be in fine fettle when they arrive at the Cottage.
We’ve been playing five at the back of late, but that’s surely likely to change given ESR’s return to fitness and the fact that we’ll be expecting a lot of the ball on Sunday. That means one of Joachim Andersen or Issa Diop will return to the bench. My money’s on Diop, though not for his mistake against Bournemouth – the temporary defensive formation was always a trojan horse to bring the Dane back into the XI.
Smith Rowe’s return will also impact the centre of the park. Expect him to return in the 10, with Lukic and Andreas further back. While Sander Berge is expected to be back in contention for Watford in the FA Cup, this one comes a bit too soon.
Up top it looks like it’s as you were, with Silva hinting Harry Wilson is set to retain his starting spot, saying it’s on Adama Traore to “prove he’s better than his comeptition”. Marco also piured cold water on any rumours of a January striker swoop, saying fans should be pleased with Raul Jimenez and Rodrigo Muniz. And, to be fair, this writer is.
A win here would take us beyond 30 points and potentially into the top six – in January. A lot to do first, though. You Whites.
ℹ️ MATCH DETAILS
Kick-Off: Sunday, 2.00PM
Stadium: Craven Cottage
Competition: Premier League
TV Channel (UK): None
🚦 LEAGUE FORM
Fulham: ✅ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ✅ ⬜
Ipswich: ❌ ❌ ✅ ❌ ❌ ✅
⚖️ MATCH PROBABILITY
Fulham: 58.6%
Draw: 21.7%
Ipswich: 19.7%
🥊 MOST RECENT MATCHES
Aug 24: Ipswich 1-1 Fulham
Nov 23: Ipswich 1-3 Fulham
Sep 20: Ipswich 0-1 Fulham
Jan 18: Fulham 4-1 Ipswich
🎙 NEW PODCAST: Tractors on Thames
We give a final word on our festive fixturs and look forward to Ipswich’s visit in the first Fulham game of 2025.
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