Do the Blues defend their place on the sunny side of the table?

On Good Friday, not only did Leicester City slip up away at Bristol (0:1), but Leeds United were also held to a 2:2 draw at Watford FC. As a result, Ipswich Town emerged as the big winners on matchday 39 of the EFL Championship with a 1-0 away win at Blackburn Rovers. The Blues climbed from third to first place in the tight promotion race and now have everything back in their own hands. However, if Ipswich’s home win against Southampton doesn’t work out, it could immediately result in the next change of leadership

The Blues face a complicated task, with Premier League relegated Southampton coming to Portman Road, the team that has lost the fewest away games of all 24 teams in the Championship in the 2023/24 season (just three). As a result, the prediction of a home win for Ipswich against Southampton from the county of Suffolk is quite risky

Meanwhile, Ipswich Town’s recent run speaks for itself. The Blues are back in first place in the table on Easter Monday because they have picked up 24 points out of a possible 27 from their last nine league games and have hardly let anything slip, especially at home to Portman Road. Coach Kieran McKenna’s side scored in 18 of their 19 Championship home games (14 wins, four draws) and scored a staggering 53 home goals (a league-high).

In this respect, it should be more likely to be high-scoring than low-scoring, while on the other hand the Saints’ away win has the lowest probability of occurrence. This makes it very interesting to play the combined bet on the double chance 1X with over 1.5 goals, for which we find odds of 1.78 at Bwin. You can access the new customer bonus of this established betting provider directly by clicking on the following banner:

Ipswich – Statistics & current form

The 1-0 away win at Blackburn was the Blues’ eighth victory in their last nine league games, taking them back to the top of the table.

The promoted side, who last spent four consecutive years in the third-tier League One, remain on course for the Premier League, from which the 1962 English champions and 1981 UEFA Cup winners last departed in 2002. 22 years later, the traditional club could now return

No team scored as many home goals as Ipswich

The most notable thing is that manager Kieran McKenna does not have a highly decorated squad. Of all 24 teams in the Championship, the club from the county of Suffolk in East Anglia has the second-lowest market value. Nevertheless, the results speak in favor of the Blues, who have hardly let anything slip, especially at home on Portman Road.

Ipswich Town have lost just one of their 19 home games in the Championship in the 2023/24 season (14 wins, four draws). The 29 goals they have conceded means they have not kept a clean sheet too often. However, with 53 goals, the promoted team has by far the best home attack and has therefore always been able to compensate well for any goals conceded

Ipswich have already toppled several top clubs with their aggressive attacking football

Despite this, there is a certain risk in the betting tip for Ipswich v Southampton that the footballers from the big city in the east of England, who are still known as the Tractor Boys due to their rural location, will defend their top spot in the table with a home win. The first leg against the Saints was the Blues’ only win in their last nine meetings (four draws, four defeats).

And yet, in the context of the club’s current Cinderella story, it would by no means be a sensation if Ipswich Town were to prove once again in this home game that their sometimes very aggressive style of play is capable of upsetting even the supposed heavyweights of the league.

Predicted Ipswich line-up:

Southampton – Statistics & current form

Southampton FC were actually aiming for an immediate return to the top flight of English soccer following their relegation from the Premier League. The Saints, who currently have 37 league games to their name, still have two catch-up games to play. Nevertheless, there is currently a ten-point gap between them and first place.

Even with an away win at Portman Road, the Saints would not be able to jump into a direct promotion place. However, as the footballers from the south coast of England are already 14 points ahead of seventh place, they should at least be able to make the play-offs

Southampton went through a slight dip in form in February

Because a lot of unexpected things can always happen in knockout matches, Russell Martin’s side would of course much prefer it if they could somehow force their way into the play-offs. However, not too much can be left to chance on the home straight of the 2023/24 season.

After all: Following a slight dip in February, when they lost three out of four consecutive league games, the Saints remained unbeaten in three Championship games in March (two wins, one draw), although the most recent 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough on Good Friday was another minor setback due to the last-minute goal against

Southampton were particularly difficult to beat away from home

Although it is rated as very balanced overall, also in view of the enormous market value of the Premier League relegated team, the odds on Ipswich v Southampton are slightly in favor of the home side.

This in turn shows how much the bookmakers now trust the promoted side from Suffolk, because in purely factual terms, the Saints are the club in the Championship that suffered the fewest defeats away from home in the 2023/24 season. Southampton have just three defeats from 18 away games (ten wins, five draws).

Predicted Southampton line-up:

Ipswich – Southampton head-to-head comparison / H2H result

Head to head: 26 – 20 – 23

A total of 69 meetings have taken place between the two teams so far and Ipswich Town still lead the head-to-head with 26 wins. The Blues also won the first leg against Southampton 1-0, ending an eight-game winless streak against the Saints (four draws, four defeats).

Ipswich – Southampton betting tip

Overall, Ipswich v Southampton has balanced betting odds, which underlines the fact that one of the league’s strongest home teams clashes with the club that has suffered the fewest away defeats in the 2023/24 Championship (just three). However, the Saints were beaten 1-0 by the Blues in the first leg. Momentum also favors the home side, who have picked up 24 points out of a possible 27 from their last nine league games and go into this top-of-the-table clash on Easter Monday

The match is likely to be a high-scoring one. After all, no team scored anywhere near as many home goals in the 2023/24 season as the Blues (53 goals in 19 home games), which is why we recommend a double chance of 1X with over 1.5 goals for Ipswich v Southampton.