Liverpool v Ipswich Town: Preview & Predicted XI | OneFootball

By Aaron Conlan

This Saturday, Liverpool will be back in Premier League action at Anfield for the first time since the 2-2 draw against Manchester United on the 5th of January.

Visitors Ipswich Town come to Anfield following a 6-0 thrashing at home at Portman Road to Manchester City. Ipswich find themselves at the opposite end of the table to Liverpool, sitting 18th on 16 points, with 34 points separating them from Liverpool who sit on top on 50 points.

The fixture provides the opportunity for the Reds to further cement their position at the top of the table, with a win bringing Arne Slot’s side to 53 points, if this is the case, it will be Liverpool’s highest point tally after 22 Premier League games since the 2019/2020 season which saw Liverpool become Premier League Champions.

Liverpool come into the game boasting a relatively healthy squad, with only Diogo Jota and Joe Gomez being the guaranteed absentees, while eyebrows may be raised over the fitness of Curtis Jones after he was withdrawn at half-time on Tuesday against Lille in the Champions League following a strain which led him to go down injured on two separate occasions. Ipswich themselves only have 3 absentees at the moment, all of which come across the Tractor Boys’ frontline, with Conor Chaplin and summer signings Sammie Szmodics and Chiedozie Ogbene all out injured.

The Reds have seemed to overcome the little ‘slump’ they experienced at home to Man Utd and away to Tottenham Hotspur, with the Reds beating Accrington Stanley in the Fa Cup, drawing away in the City Ground against Nottingham Forrest, somewhere only Newcastle and Fulham have won this season, winning away at the Gtech Stadium against Brentford, somewhere only Arsenal and Nottingham Forrest have won in the Premier League this season and a 2-1 beating of Lille, a side unbeaten in 21 games. It all bodes well for Liverpool to really kick on for the end of the season.

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The fixture list is piling up as well for Liverpool, with 7 games across three competitions between the 25th of January and the 16th of February, with a game coming, on average, just over every 3 days, Arne Slot will need to use the full rotation of his squad to keep his players fit and well rested. Thankfully, fixtures away at PSV, as the Reds have already qualified for the next round of the Champions League, and Plymouth Argyle, who sit rock bottom of the Championship, may well give Slot the chance he needs to rest crucial players such as Ryan Gravenberch, who has played 2,506 minutes so far this campaign, Mo Salah, who has so far amounted 2,600 minutes and captain Virgil Van Dijk who tops the squad with 2,610 minutes on the pitch this season.

For Liverpool on Saturday, it may well be Mo Salah, who will likely find himself up against 25-year-old Leif Davis at left back. Davis has come under criticism at times this season for his defensive performances, however, it may also be Davis’ ability going forward which troubles the Reds with his crossing ability. Darwin Nunez will be hoping to get on the scoresheet, providing him the chance to solidify his position up front following his heroic late brace against Brentford which saw him score twice in injury time, rescuing the three points for the Reds. Liverpool fans will also be hoping to see more of Federico Chiesa off the bench, with him scoring his first goal for the club in the Fa Cup against Accrington Stanley and impressing in his cameo against Lille on Tuesday.

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Predicted Lineup

Alisson, Trent Alexander Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil Van Dijk, Andrew Robertson; Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis MacAllister, Dominik Szoboszlai; Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez, Mo Salah.

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