Premier League match preview: Ipswich Town v Crystal Palace

Kieran McKenna admitted that his side didn't threaten enough after going behind against Nottingham Forest (Image: Ross Halls)

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Given how well Ipswich played against Tottenham and Manchester United, Saturday’s defeat to Nottingham Forest was disappointing.

No, it wasn’t a poor performance necessarily, but it was a pretty low-level game. The hosts’ style of play allowed for that and put them in the driving seat, but as Kieran McKenna said afterwards, Town have to ‘own their part’.

Aside from a header from Cameron Burgess that was cleared off the line, the Blues didn’t do enough to test Forest. The front four looked lively in the first half, but after falling behind to Chris Wood's penalty early in the second half, they did little to get themselves back into the game.

It’s important to remember how good Nuno Espírito Santo’s side have been so far this season, however. There will be easier challenges to come, at least on paper.

The Blues will face six Premier League games in December (Image: Ross Halls)

A big week in a big month

The defeat to Forest was Ipswich’s last game in November. There are six to come in December, making it the busiest month of the campaign.

The players know how big this run of matches could be for their season, as Conor Chaplin said on Saturday afternoon.

“December is the same whatever league you’re in,” he explained. “That’s probably the good thing about it - there’s games thick and fast, which we love.

“Every game is an opportunity to pick up points. The more congested the fixture list is, the better it is because there’s more opportunities to pick up points.”

An exciting double-header against Arsenal and Chelsea catches the eye later on in the month. It’ll be easier to get pumped up for those matches, as it was against the other top-six sides last month.

Before then, they need to figure out how to beat the teams around them. That starts tonight against a Crystal Palace side who sit above them on goal difference alone.

The subsequent visit of Bournemouth on Sunday is equally important - not in terms of catching the Cherries, who sit well clear of the relegation zone, but in terms of winning a home game against a side in the bottom half of the table.

McKenna isn’t one to look too far ahead at certain matches, but he may look at grouping these two together in terms of preparations as they’re quite similar. That then leads into a free week ahead of a trip to Wolves, who currently sit on nine points, just like Town and Crystal Palace.

Crystal Palace's only league win so far this season came at home to Tottenham (Image: PA)

Struggling Eagles

The most popular ‘dark horse’ pick for the 2024/25 Premier League season, Crystal Palace have suffered a pretty surprising drop-off after finishing the previous campaign in red-hot form.

Roy Hodgson stepped down as manager of the Eagles back in February and was subsequently replaced by Oliver Glasner, who had a decent start to life at Selhurst Park. 

That all changed after a 4-2 home defeat to Manchester City, subsequently leading to a seven-match unbeaten run that included six wins. They won at Anfield, demolished Man United and thrashed Aston Villa to end the season.

The departure of star attacker Michael Olise to Bayern Munich was clearly a huge blow, although it happened early on in the summer transfer window, allowing for the club to reinvest the money. Perhaps his exit had a bigger impact than people realised at the time.

After 13 games, their record mirrors that of Ipswich. One win, six draws and six defeats. Both sides have claimed the scalp of Tottenham Hotspur as their only victory so far.

That run is acceptable for the Blues, who have only just completed back-to-back promotions from League One and have largely played very well, but less so for an established top-flight side like Crystal Palace, who were expected to kick on after stagnating in mid-table for far too long.

Injuries have played a part. Adam Wharton (groin) has been out for more than a month and is a doubt to face Town. Chadi Riad (knee) and Matheus França are all expected to miss out. 

On the flip side, Eberechi Eze (hamstring) has returned from injury, playing 65 minutes in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Newcastle United. Will he be able to play again so soon after the last match?

Town haven't played a midweek league game since the end of last season (Image: PA)

Under the Portman Road lights

It’s been a while since one of these, hasn’t it?

Ipswich had many memorable midweek fixtures on home soil last year. The dramatic comeback against Wolves in the Carabao Cup, Wes Burns’ stunner against Coventry City, the crazy finale against Rotherham United. Who could forget that brilliant game against Bristol City too?

There’s something special about Portman Road under the lights, particularly on a Tuesday or Wednesday night. There won’t be many this year due to the Premier League fixture list, so it’s important to make the most of the ones we get.

It’s not an easy place for an away team to play. In fact, the last side to win at Ipswich in a midweek league game was Rotherham on Tuesday, November 21st, 2021.

Portman Road is going to be crucial for the Blues this season, especially nights like tonight. It’s vital that they get their first home win soon.

Axel Tuanzebe injured his hamstring in Saturday's 1-0 defeat (Image: Ross Halls)

Who could start?

Expect a few changes from Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Forest. There are some knocks to be assessed ahead of the match.

At the back, Axel Tuanzebe [hamstring] will be out ‘long-term’ according to McKenna. There may be a late call on Ben Johnson, who hasn't featured since the win at Spurs, but it'll likely be Harry Clarke at right-back if both players are out.

There's another call to be made at left centre-back, where Burgess was preferred to Jacob Greaves last time out. This game could be an opportunity to ease the latter back into action and continue his partnership with Dara O'Shea.

Jens Cajuste has been managing a knee injury for the last few weeks, so it remains to be seen whether two games in such a short space of time will prove to be too much for him. With Kalvin Phillips also set to miss out, Massimo Luongo or Jack Taylor may have a chance of playing alongside Sam Morsy against the Eagles.

There will probably be at least one change behind lone striker Liam Delap. Jack Clarke has looked far better in the starting lineup than he has coming off the bench while Wes Burns will be keen to return after his strong showing against Man United.

Rotation may be important, with one eye on Sunday's game against Bournemouth.