Football
EPL: EPL Ipswich Town vs Newcastle 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. Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich Town welcomes Eddie Howe’s Newcastle to Portman Road just four days before the big day, with both teams wishing for three points as an early Christmas present.
David McGoldrick and Deandre Yedlin//Getty Images
At the time of writing, both teams had won their last match having not won in any of their last four fixtures before that.
They are both in the bottom half of the table but are separated by a considerable 11 points difference, with Newcastle in 12th place and Ipswich in the dreaded relegation zone at 18th.
Over the last 60 years, these two teams are almost at a stalemate, with Ipswich winning 18, Newcastle 17, and 16 drawn. Although, Newcastle have won five of their nine games against Ipswich Town this century, with The Tractor Boys only winning twice, so The Magpies have been the more dominant in their recent rivalry.
And it appears the team that finished as high as seventh last season are currently the stronger side this season so far, but relegation teams have a different kind of fight in them, so the stage is all set for a Christmas cracker!
Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability: Newcastle Clear Favourites
Home: 37/10 (4.70) – 21,3%
Draw: 59/20 (3.95) – 25,3%
Away: 71/100 (1.71) – 58,5%
*Odds courtesy of Betway, subject to change*
Head-to-Head Record
Last Five Meetings
17/04/17: Ipswich Town 3-1 Newcastle
22/10/16: Newcastle 3-0 Ipswich Town
24/04/10: Newcastle 2-2 Ipswich Town
26/09/09: Ipswich Town 0-4 Newcastle
Ipswich Town: Current Form – WLLLDW
In November, Ipswich Town managed to defeat Spurs away from home, then drew with Manchester United in their following Premier League match. However, they then proceeded to lose their next three fixtures – to Forest, Palace and Bournemouth.
Fortunately, they were able to bounce back in their last game with a hard-fought, dramatic 2-1 away win to Wolves, crediting them with a valuable three points after snatching an injury-time winner.
It was such a crucial clash with Wolves, as both sides were deadlocked on nine points, so although still stuck in the drop zone, Ipswich have been able to pull three points clear of their relegation rivals and only need one more win to get out of the dreaded bottom three.
Before this win, Ipswich had dropped six points to goals conceded after the 87th minute, with late defeats to Brentford, Bournemouth and Leicester, and have dropped a total of 15 points from leading positions.
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 Manchester City. He signed for the newly promoted Ipswich Town in July 2024 for £20 million and has scored six goals in 15 appearances already. He also has an assist this season, too.
- Omari Hutchinson – 21-year-old winger Omari Hutchinson spent time with London clubs Chelsea, Charlton and Arsenal as a youth player. Since helping Ipswich Town gain promotion after 22 years away from the top flight, he has scored 15 times, including his first-ever Premier League goal against Manchester United in November.
- Sam Morsy – Defensive midfielder, Sam Morsy, is the captain of the club. The 33-year-old has played over 134 games and is known as the enforcer who breaks up play with his excellent interceptions and tackles.
Ipswich Town Team News
Boss Kieran McKenna has confirmed the club will be looking to boost the attacking options during the January transfer window. Middlesbrough’s Emmanuel Latte Lath almost signed in the summer but was rejected because they couldn’t start their season with just one striker. However, the negotiations could be restarted in January.
The Blues have been unfortunate, second only to Brighton for days lost to injuries this season. 18 players from their 27-man first-team squad have battled with injuries already this campaign.
Summer signing Chiedozie Ogbene will miss the rest of the season with an Achilles tear, while key defender Axel Tuanzbe and striker George Hirst are also long-term absentees.
Newcastle: Current Form – WLDDLW
At the time of writing, Newcastle are 12th placed but are tied on points with 10th-placed Spurs and 11th-placed Bournemouth. Their mid-table positioning is currently so tight, that they are only three points away from the sixth spot, one point below Man City.
They netted four against Leicester on December 14th but conceded four in their game to Brentford a week prior. And three days before that, they took part in a six-goal draw with league leaders Liverpool.
Over half of their goals this season all came in their last six matches. Alexander Isak is leading the scoring with seven goals, with Harvey Barnes closely behind on five. Isak also has four assists this season, as too does Jacob Murphy.
Key Players To Watch
- Alexander Isak – Newcastle striker Alexander Isak has already tied with Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the most Premier League goals – 17 – scored by a Swedish player. He’s already scored seven this season, placing him in the top 10 goalscorers in the league.
- Jacob Murphy – Right-winner Jacob Murphy has played 13 matches this season and made four assists and scored twice.
- Anthony Gordon – 23-year-old Gordon has played nine matches for England this year, after impressing with his pash, dribbling and finishing ability. This season, he has collected three goals and two assists for Newcastle.
Newcastle Team News
Boss Eddie Howe confirmed Dutchman Sven Botman will be back in action towards the end of December but will require a couple of games to get going again. He has already completed 60 minutes in the Under-21s.
Newcastle have reportedly agreed a deal in principle for long-serving goalkeeper Martin Dubravka to join Al-Shabab ahead of the January window.
Predicted Line-Ups
Ipswich Town: 4-2-3-1
Muric; Clarke, O’Shea, Burgess, Davis; Morsy, Cajuste; Burns, Chaplin, Hutchinson; Delap.
Newcastle: 4-3-3
Dubravka; Livramento, Schlar, Burn, Hall; Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton; Murphy, Isak, Gordon.
Suggested Bets
If you love betting on football, here are some bets you can place at some of the popular sportsbooks.
Both Teams to Score (No): Just one team to score could be worth a punt. (5/4 with Betway) (127/100 with 1Win)
Correct Score: The odds for Newcastle to win 2-0 looks attractive. (43/5 with Betway) (54/5 with 1Win)
Under 2.5 Goals: Under 2.5 goals scored could be worth a try. (129/100 with Betway) (129/100 with 1Win)
Value Bets
Alexander Isak – Anytime Goalscorer: The Newcastle striker has scored in all of his last three games, so could score anytime in the match. (6/5 with 1Win)
Liam Delap – Anytime Goalscorer: Delap is such a handful, he could score anytime in the match. (11/4 with 1Win)
First Team to Score – Newcastle: Newcastle’s recent form and attacking style of play could potentially see them net first. (23/50 with 1Win)
Prediction: Newcastle to Win
Relegation teams have the dog in them, so expect Ipswich to be scrapping all the way through this festive fixture, especially with their home crowd behind them. However, recent form and current league positioning places them firmly as the underdogs.
In-form forward Alexander Isak has scored in all of his last three matches, at the time of writing, so he will be a strong contender to net again. Isak, Barnes and Gordon have 15 combined goals between them, so their attack is very strong right now and will be difficult to keep at bay.
We predict Newcastle to upset the hosts to win 2-0.
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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