ENGLISH PREMIER BETTING PREVIEW - MANCHESTER UNITED VS IPSWICH TOWN

English Premier

2025-02-26 - Manchester United vs Ipswich Town

A Sports Betting Preview by Auls

Manchester United v Ipswich Town
Football: English Premier League
Wednesday 26th February 2025 - Kick Off 7:30pm
This game is live on TV

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Manchester United

The first time Ruben Amorim took charge of Manchester United it was also against Ipswich Town and there have been a lot of difficult moments for the manager to face since that fixture at Portman Road in November. The goalscorer, Marcus Rashford, has been shipped off to Villa Park and for a long time on Saturday it felt like Manchester United were going to be playing this fixture after another Premier League defeat.

The fightback from 2-0 down to earn a point at Goodison Park will have raised some of the morale around this squad and Manchester United are 15th in the Premier League table and 13 points clear of the bottom three. Not many are really taking relegation as a serious concern, but Manchester United have a big month of Cup action coming up and need to find some consistency, especially at Old Trafford where they have a hugely disappointing 5-1-7 record in the top flight.

Manchester United have won 1 of their last 4 games in all competitions, but they avoided a 4th defeat in 5 Premier League games by earning that 2-2 draw in the last ever visit to Goodison Park. The side have won 3 of their last 5 games at Old Trafford in all competitions, but the successes have mainly been in Cup settings. In fact, Manchester United have lost 5 of their last 6 Premier League games at Old Trafford and needed three late goals to beat Southampton in the exception during that run.

Toby Collyer and Kobbie Mainoo are both hoping to return before the March international break, while there are uncertainties about the recovery of Altay Bayindir, Luke Shaw, Jonny Evans and Mason Mount.

Ipswich Town

Out of the three promoted clubs from the Championship, Ipswich Town might have been the one with the least expectation going into the Premier League season. Kieran McKenna's work over the last couple of years cannot be ignored and the fans and board are very patient with a manager who is doing well by giving Ipswich Town an opportunity to retain their top flight status.

It was a tough weekend for Ipswich Town, who were thumped 1-4 at home by Tottenham Hotspur at the same time Wolves were earning an important 0-1 win at Bournemouth. This all means The Tractor Boys are 18th in the Premier League table, but 5 points from safety and with twelve League games left to play. The side have a 2-4-6 away record in the Premier League where they have scored 14 goals, but conceded 24.

Ipswich Town have beaten a couple of lower League clubs in the FA Cup since the turn of the calendar year, but the defeat to Tottenham Hotspur means they have not won any of their last 7 Premier League games and have lost 5 of 6. The exception in that run of defeats was the 1-1 draw at Villa Park, and Ipswich Town have found a way to pick up 8 points from their last 7 away Premier League games.

Axel Tuanzebe is available to play against his former club, but Kalvin Phillips is a doubt along with a number of squad members that were absent this past weekend.

Head to Head

These two clubs played out a 1-1 draw when they met at Portman Road in November.

Manchester United have won 4 in a row at Old Trafford against Ipswich Town, including a 3-0 win when last hosting them in September 2015 in a League Cup tie.

Prediction

Who would have thought that Manchester United hosting Ipswich Town in late February could be described as a 'relegation six pointer' when the season kicked off back in August?

Of course that is a facetious comment in reality with Manchester United 13 points clear of the drop zone, but sums up what has been a poor season for the club who are languishing in the bottom third of the table.

Ruben Amorim is working hard to improve things, but everyone associated with the club believe things will get worse before they get better and we have seen plenty of that in recent performances.

Playing at Old Trafford has been a particular struggle for the players with the pressure of expectation weighing them down and the next three months is all about getting through the season and then building something in the summer.

Cup games are still important for Manchester United, but Amorim has made it clear he wants to see improvement in the Premier League form too.

His team have beaten both Southampton and Leicester City here over the last six weeks, even if Manchester United have not really convinced in either win. That is going to offer some encouragement, while the battling display to earn a draw at Goodison Park has to give the players something to hold onto.

Next up is an Ipswich Town team that have picked up some big away results over the last couple of months, but who have continued to struggle defensively. The 1-4 loss to Tottenham Hotspur will have really hurt and Ipswich Town could have issues containing even this limited Manchester United attack with the pressure of this step up in level beginning to affect the level of performance being produced.

Ipswich Town did earn a 1-1 draw at Aston Villa in their last away game, but they needed to ride their luck on the day.

Kieran McKenna is well aware of the challenges facing Manchester United from his time Coaching at Old Trafford and he will want his team to get forward and see if they can exploit any nerves. However, some of the situations created by Manchester United in the last couple of Premier League games are encouraging and the feeling is that the home team can score at least twice, which should be enough to earn the three points and just end any lingering talk of a potential relegation.

The Pick :

Manchester United 2-0 Ipswich Town

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

I'll back Manchester United to Win & Over 1 Total Goal (Bet Builder) at 1.72 with Bet365 (early payout if a team is leading by two goals)