Match Preview
Ipswich Town v Fulham
Premier League Match Day 03 24/25 at Portman Road,
Saturday 31st August 2024 KO: 15:00
Referee:
Lewis Smith (Lancashire)
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Fulham head to Portman Road, on Saturday, for what on paper should be an easier game than their previous away game at Man Utd.
Ipswich Town will also be happier facing Fulham after having to face two of the Premier League's most potent powerhouses in their first two games of the season.
Fulham were consigned to an early loss versus a Manchester outfit, going down 1-0 to Manchester United in the season's maiden match, but Silva's troops made Craven Cottage amends Leicester City paid a visit.
From North London to West London, two former Arsenal academy proteges in Emile Smith Rowe and Alex Iwobi propelled Fulham to their maiden success of the 2024-25 season, ensuring that Wout Faes's header, which was initially ruled out, would be meaningless in the grand scheme of things.
Following on from that deserved success in terrible capital conditions, Fulham avoided sharing Ipswich's EFL Cup fate at the home of Birmingham City, where Raul Jimenez and former Blues loanee Jay Stansfield struck inside the opening 15 minutes to send the Cottagers into round three.
Revelling in their third win from their last four competitive matches, Fulham can end a 16 year streak at Portman Road, as the capital outfit have not won at least two of their opening three games of a top flight campaign since the 2008-09 season.
However, Fulham have had Ipswich's number ever since the start of the 2016-17 Championship season, beating the Tractor Boys in each of their last six showdowns, including a 3-1 win at Portman Road in the fourth round of last season's League Cup.
Ipswich Town have some EFL Cup mistakes to rectify after losing on penalties against AFC Wimbledon in midweek.
Only if Arsenal were visiting Ipswich's turf this weekend could McKenna's side have been handed a tougher start to life back in the Premier League, having been forced to pit their wits against Liverpool and Manchester City in their first two competitive battles of 2024-25.
After their engine blew in a 2-0 loss to the Reds, where their gungho first half preceded a tepid second, Ipswich were briefly on cloud nine at the Etihad when Sammie Szmodics's opener trickled over the line, only for hat-trick hero Erling Haaland to inspire an inevitable Citizens comeback.
There was to be no immediate redemption tale for Ipswich in the EFL Cup either, as following a 2-2 draw with Wimbledon in normal time, Conor Chaplin's late leveller just delayed an embarrassing exit; Omari Hutchinson and Jack Taylor both fluffed their lines from the penalty spot.
With three losses to show from their opening three bouts of 2024-25, Ipswich now endeavour to avoid an unwanted first under McKenna, who has never lost back to back league home games in charge of the top tier new boys.
Furthermore, not since the 2006-07 Championship season have Ipswich been condemned to defeat in their opening three games of a league campaign, and they have never opened a top flight season with three straight losses, so unwanted history could be written on Saturday afternoon.
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Fulham are looking for a seventh consecutive win against Ipswich in all competitions.
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Their most recent top-flight win against Ipswich was a 10-1 home victory in 1963.
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It's a decade since Ipswich last had a home win over Fulham in any competition (D1, L4).
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However, the Tractor Boys are unbeaten in the only two previous Premier League meetings, which came in 2001-02 (W1, D1).
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Fulham could win more than one of their opening three games of a Premier League season for the first time since 2008.
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There were 16 goals scored in Fulham's three league away matches against promoted teams last season: a 2-2 draw at Burnley, a 3-3 draw at Sheffield United and a 4-2 win at Luton Town.
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Fulham have won only six of their 47 Premier League away games versus promoted opposition (D18, L23).
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Andreas Pereira has created 13 chances in the Premier League this season, six more than any other player.
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Ipswich are in danger of losing their first three league games of a season for the first time since 2006-07 when they were in the Championship.
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They have never lost consecutive home league games under Kieran McKenna, with this game his 59th at Portman Road.
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McKenna's side have allowed 99 touches in their own box in their opening two Premier League matches this season, the most by a team in their first two games on record since 2008-09.
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Sam Szmodics is aiming to become the first Ipswich player to score in his first two Premier League starts since Adam Tanner in January 1995.
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Source Ben Knapton at SportsMole/BBCSports