Football
EPL Ipswich vs Brighton Preview: Tips, Odds, and Prediction
With excitement building and anticipation growing ahead of kickoff, Premier League betting fans are already diving into the odds and assessing both teams, hoping to find the best value. For a detailed, in-depth look at the match, be sure to check out our full preview.
Kaoru Mitoma & Hove Albion is challenged by Axel Tuanzebe//Getty Images
Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich Town welcomes Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton and Hove Albion to Portman Road in Ipswich on a Thursday night, January 16th.
At the time of writing, Brighton haven’t won any of their last eight fixtures, but have lost less than the hosts, so actually possess the better form.
Over their history, Ipswich have had the better of their rivalry with 31 wins to Brighton’s 24. In their most recent five fixtures together, it’s been scored one apiece with three draws.
In the Premier League table, Ipswich are scrapping for survival in 18th place, while Brighton are in the upper half in 10th position.
Brighton had enjoyed a bright start to the season but haven’t managed a win since November, which is worrying, but the coastal club are hard to beat too, with the likes of Arsenal, Newcastle and Villa unable to better them.
This is just their second Premier League clash against each other, with their first ending in a 0-0 draw, making it three stalemates in a row between them, so which side will be the one to break that deadlock? Let’s take a look with our in-depth match preview.
Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability
Brighton Clear Favourites
Home: 29/10 (3.90) – 25,6%
Draw: 57/20 (3.85) – 26%
Away: 22/25 (1.88) – 53,2%
*Odds courtesy of Betway, subject to change*
Head-to-Head Record
Last Five Meetings
14/09/24: Brighton 0-0 Ipswich Town
14/02/17: Brighton 1-1 Ipswich Town
27/09/16: Ipswich Town 0-0 Brighton
29/12/15: Brighton 0-1 Ipswich Town
29/08/15: Ipswich Town 2-3 Brighton
Ipswich: Current Form – DWLLWL
The Tractor Boys have recently earned four valuable points from West London clubs Fulham (2-2) and Chelsea (2-0).
Prior to that, they had lost 1-0 to second-place Arsenal and 4-0 to fifth-placed Newcastle.
Their ‘six-pointer’ win over Wolves on December 14 was a pivotal moment, but the advantage they gained has somewhat been overturned as their relegation rivals have since won two and drawn one, with new manager Vitor Pereira at the helm, placing them one spot above in 17th and with a game in hand.
In their last vital victory over Chelsea, main man Liam Delap scored a pen in the 12th minute and set up ex-Chelsea player Omari Hutchinson to seal victory in the 53rd. Neither one of these goalscorers were even born when Ipswich last won a Premier League match at home in 2002.
It was their first home win of the season, which will fully incentivise them for this mid-January fixture here against Brighton.
Key Players To Watch
- Liam Delap – Son of Rory Delap, Liam was a part of Derby’s academy from the age of six to 16, before joining eight-time Premier League winners, Manchester City. He signed for the newly promoted Ipswich Town in July 2024 for £20 million and has scored eight goals in 20 appearances.
- Omari Hutchinson – 21-year-old winger Omari Hutchinson scored against his old club Chelsea in his last match. As a youth player, he spent time at other London clubs, such as Charlton and Arsenal. Since helping Ipswich Town gain promotion after 22 years away from the top flight, he has scored 16 times, including his first-ever Premier League goal against Manchester United in November.
- Jens Cajuste – Swedish national, Cajuste, is on loan from Serie A club Napoli. The 25-year-old has won Player of the Month for the club twice already this season.
Ipswich Team News
26-year-old defender Ben Godfrey has joined Ipswich on loan. Their first signing in the January transfer window transfer window joins from Italian side, Atalanta, and will boost the side’s struggling defence that’s let in 35 goals in 20 games.
Jens Cajuste, 25, has just won the club’s Player of the Month Award for December, with 41.8% of the votes. The midfielder won the award in November too.
Goalkeeper Christian Walton was nominated for the Premier League’s Save of the Month Award for December, when he tipped Chelsea’s Cole Palmer’s shot onto the crossbar.
Brighton: Current Form – DDDDLD
Brighton have now gone eight matches without a win. It was 45 days ago when they last won against Bournemouth on November 23.
Despite the disappointing lack of wins, their draw against Arsenal saw them leapfrog over Brentford to get back in the top half of the table. They currently have more draws than any other team in the league with 10.
Against the aforementioned Arsenal, they were too respectful in the first half, then a positive change from the boss saw them advance forward and pin the Gunners back in the second half to salvage the point in what was a plucky, spirited performance to match the second-placed team in the league. Fabian Hurzeler even said after the game that he was disappointed not to secure the win.
That display demonstrated their ability to match any of the top contenders in the league when they are on their A-game.
Key Players To Watch
- Joao Pedro – Brighton’s star man has been involved in 10 goals across his last 13 games (five goals, five assists). The Brazilian was a reported club-record transfer at £30million in May 2023 and has certainly paid back his fee in performances already. Manager Fabian Hurzeler has recognised Pedro as one of the leaders of the team.
- Carlos Baleba – Baleba was just awarded Player of the Month for Brighton in September. The 21-year-old powerful midfielder moved from Lille for £25 million in August 2023.
- Simon Adingra – The Ivory Coast international, Adingra, joined in June 2022 and is an Africa Cup of Nations winner, in 2023, where he was awarded AFCON Best Young Player.
Brighton Team News
Adam Webster came off the bench in the second half against Arsenal and managed a shot on target and two tackles during his 24-minute appearance. His return will help shore up the defence.
Brighton are bidding for Brazilian wonderkid Vitor Reis of Palmeiras. The price tag is set at £25 million, and Brighton’s last offer was for £23.5 million. Chelsea are also interested so they may need to up their bid to secure his signature.
Predicted Line-Ups
Ipswich: 5-4-1
Walton; Burns, O’Shea, Woolfenden, Greaves, Davis; Morsy, Cajuste, Hutchinson, Broadhead; Delap.
Brighton: 4-2-3-1
Verbruggen; Veltman, van Hecke, Julio, Estupinan; Baleba, Ayari; Gruda, O’Riley, Adingra; Pedro.
Suggested Bets
If you love betting on football, here are some bets you can place at some of the popular sportsbooks.
Match Winner & Both Teams to Score: Brighton to win and both teams to score could be worth a punt. (23/10 with Betway) (231/100 with 1Win)
Correct Score: The odds for Brighton to win 2-1 away looks attractive. (7/1 with Betway) (91/10 with 1Win)
Half-Time – Full-time: Ipswich to be leading at home in the first half, then Brighton to win has very good odds. (27/5 with Betway) (28/5 with 1Win)
Value Bets
Joao Pedro – Anytime Goalscorer: Always involved in the goals, Pedro to score is always worth a punt. (13/10 with 1Win)
Liam Delap – Anytime Goalscorer: Leading goalscorer for Ipswich, Delap could find the net anytime in the match. (12/10 with 1Win)
First Team to Score – Ipswich: The home team, Ipswich, to score first could be worth a bet. (38/25 with 1Win)
Prediction: Brighton to Win
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler likes to press high and play with intensity, but acknowledges that his players are not currently fit or strong enough to pull this off for 90 minutes, which is something he says they are working on. The team are young so their lassitude can be expected.
The Seagulls have gone long enough without a win and are due some luck finally. To be able to go toe-to-toe with Arsenal shows just how strong the Sussex side are.
Ipswich have averaged a goal a game, and their home advantage should see them net again, especially since breaking their drought at Portman Road to end the year on.
Relegation teams always have a different kind of fight and determination in them, but Brighton are a superior side with higher quality and should secure that all-important, elusive win, possibly scored at 2-1.
Tim has over 27 years experience within the sports industry, working for football clubs Arsenal FC and Millwall FC, and boxing news websites British Boxing News, Boxing Social and Global Boxing News. His boxing articles have been published in Boxing News Magazine, national newspapers, plus many other major news outlets.
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