My Arsenal XI vs Ipswich  Rice more rest comes back next game.  Calafiori no need to start yet can start next game.  Jesus has to be starting

My Arsenal XI vs Ipswich

Rice more rest comes back next game.

Calafiori no need to start yet can start next game.

Jesus has to be starting

Arsenal vs Ipswich: Preview, Prediction & Lineups

Gunners remain unbeaten after the November international break

Ipswich have just two league wins upon top-flight return

Arsenal conclude 2024 on Friday night as they welcome the newly-promoted Ipswich Town to the Emirates.

This is the first Premier League meeting between these two clubs since 2002, with Ipswich returning to the top-flight off the back of back-to-back promotions spearheaded by Kieran McKenna. Their journey has been remarkable, and although their season has been a bit of a slog thus far, they have remained competitive throughout.

However, Friday’s visitors were thumped 4-0 by Newcastle last time out and have recorded just two league wins – one of which arrived in north London against Tottenham.

Arsenal remain in the title discussion despite their disappointing pair of draws earlier this month. A 5-1 win at Crystal Palace helped raise spirits ahead of the festivities, but news of Bukayo Saka’s hamstring tear brought the mood down considerably.

How well Mikel Arteta copes with the absence of his superstar winger will decide whether the Gunners can compete with Liverpool for the league title.

Here’s our preview of Arsenal vs Ipswich in the Premier League on Friday night.

Arsenal vs Ipswich: Preview, Prediction & Lineups



Arsenal meet Ipswich in the Premier League for the first time since 2002 | Phil Cole/GettyImages

What time does Arsenal vs Ipswich kick off?

Arsenal vs Ipswich kicks off on Friday 27 December at 20:15 BST.

When is kick off? Friday 27 December, 2024

What time is kick off? 20:15 BST

Where is it played? Emirates Stadium, London

Referee: Darren England

Arsenal vs Ipswich head to head record

While their last Premier League meeting came way back in 2002, Arsenal and Ipswich did meet in the semi-finals of the 2010/11 League Cup. The Gunners were forced to overturn a 1-0 deficit in the second leg at the Emirates, but they did so by beating the Tractor Boys 3-0. However, they may have been better off not staging that comeback given what went down in the final against Birmingham.

Ipswich haven’t beaten Arsenal in a league match since 1984.

Date

Result

Competition

25 January 2011

Arsenal 3-0 Ipswich

League Cup

12 January 2011

Ipswich 1-0 Arsenal

League Cup

21 April 2002

Arsenal 2-0 Ipswich

Premier League

1 December 2001

Ipswich 0-1 Arsenal

Premier League

10 February 2001

Arsenal 1-0 Ipswich

Premier League

Is Arsenal vs Ipswich on TV?

Arsenal vs Ipswich will be streamed on Amazon Prime Video in the UK, with all Premier League Gameweek 18 fixtures broadcast via the popular subscription service.

US fans can catch the game via NBC Sports, UNIVERSO, Telemundo, USA Network and fuboTV. The Fubo Sports Network is also your streaming avenue in Canada.

Arsenal team news

The Gunners were dealt a big blow at the weekend with Bukayo Saka tearing his hamstring at Selhurst Park. The superstar wide man and Arsenal’s main man could be out for as long as eight weeks.

To exacerbate the blow, a potential Saka alternative, Raheem Sterling, is poised to miss the next few weeks as a result of a knee injury which saw him miss Saturday’s win. Gabriel Martinelli will be expected to start down Arsenal’s right.

On a brighter note, Riccardo Calafiori returned from a groin injury and is in contention to start on Friday, while Oleksandr Zinchenko should be back in the matchday squad. Declan Rice was excellent off the bench last time out and will be included in Friday’s starting XI.

Predicted Arsenal lineup vs Ipswich: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Merino, Odegaard; Martinelli, Havertz, Jesus.

Ipswich team news

The visitors are without suspended captain Sam Morsy after he picked up his fifth booking of the Premier League season against Newcastle last week. However, Ipswich do welcome top scorer Liam Delap to the fold after he served a one-game ban.

Delap will lead Ipswich’s line on Friday, replacing Conor Chaplin in the starting lineup.

The Tractor Boys are also missing Axel Tuanzebe, Chiedozie Ogbene and George Hirst through injury. Massimo Luongo is a doubt due to an illness.

Predicted Ipswich lineup vs Arsenal: Muric; Clarke, O’Shea, Greaves, Davis; Phillips, Cajuste; Burns, Hutchinson, Szmodics; Delap.

Arsenal vs Ipswich score prediction

It’ll be interesting to see how Arsenal fare in Saka’s absence on Friday as they take on an Ipswich team that could pose a few issues with their work out of possession. They’re an astute pressing team, and the Gunners struggled in the build-up phase on Saturday.

While the visitors have been able to punch above their weight for the past couple of years, their return to the Premier League seems like a bridge too far. Sustaining their levels for 90 minutes has been an issue and I think Arsenal will wear them down on Friday. Players have plenty to prove without their main man in attack, and they should get the job done with some comfort.

Prediction: Arsenal 2-0 Ipswich