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Preview: Arsenal vs Ipswich Town – H2H, Best XIs, How to Watch & More

Arsenal will be out to improve their consistency in the title race when they host Ipswich Town at the Emirates Stadium on December 27. 

The Gunners will be aiming to put real pressure on the league leaders Liverpool, as they eye their first Premier League win in 20 years.

At the time of writing, they find themselves trailing the Reds by a disappointing six-point margin, nine if Liverpool win their outstanding match-up.

But they can remain hopeful that their title rivals will falter at some stage during the intense race.

Meanwhile, Ipswich are third from bottom. They are four points adrift of safety following their loss to AFC Bournemouth over the weekend. 

The Suffolk club has dropped 15 points from winning positions this season. They have lost three on the trot and are winless in four, sinking deeper into the relegation battle.

Both sets of supporters will be desperate for the win, and fans keen on catching all the live action can get their Arsenal vs Ipswich tickets on Seatsnet.com, the premier ticket marketplace for Premier League games.

Match Preview

Arsenal went into this season with some confidence that they would again be Manchester City’s main challengers for the Premier League title.

After wins at Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur, they seemed well-placed to go on a title charge. However, a series of disappointing results threatened to derail their momentum.

They won only one of their five games in all competitions before the November international break.

The north Londoners managed to pick up steam and have claimed four wins from five since club action returned (D1), although they will rue the points dropped against Fulham in their last outing. 

The Gunners have no margin for error moving forward as they attempt to close the gap on the imperious Liverpool.

There are questions around squad depth and whether the team is deep enough to challenge when the first-teamers are misfiring. 

There are also major question marks around their title credentials. Set-piece coach Nicolas Jover has been praised for his remarkable work, with the club gaining notoriety for their efficiency on set-pieces.

However, Arsenal’s dominance from corners is concealing a more significant issue.

The Gunners are struggling to create and convert chances from open play, which is made clear through the drop in the squad’s expected goals (xG) from open play compared to last season. 

Throughout the season, Arsenal’s open play xG is 15.9 from their 15 Premier League matches – which would rank them tenth. 

In those 15 matches, the Gunners have recorded an open play xG of 1.0 or below ten times.

Of the 27 goals (excluding penalties) they have scored during the Premier League this season, nine have come from set-pieces, 33.33% of the overall tally. 

Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice can deliver impressive crosses, but what happens when teams figure out these routines and how to stop them? 

On their day, Arsenal could prove too much for Ipswich, but their inconsistent league form this season makes it hard to trust them to get the job done.

They have dropped unnecessary points this season and could slip up against Ipswich.

Kieran Mc Kenna’s side spent £109 million on ten players over the summer with one goal in mind – keeping the club in the English top flight.

Jacob Greaves, Sammie Szmodics, Dara O’Shea, and Liam Delap are all exciting additions. The latter has drawn interest from Chelsea with his aggressive centre-forward play.

He has six goals and an assist in 15 league appearances despite feeding on scraps. Ipswich have recorded the fewest touches inside the opposition penalty area this season.

Delap is one of the reasons Ipswich clawed their way out of the bottom three at some point this season, but they are back there and struggling to get out. They need a result against the Gunners.

After opening their season with a loss to Liverpool, Ipswich have only won one of their first 15 games in the Premier League.

They went toe-to-toe with Manchester United and Aston Villa, which saw both games ending in a draw, but they need more to stay afloat.

They are dangling in the relegation zone and need four points to close the gap on 17th-placed Crystal Palace. A result at Arsenal would go a long way toward their survival. 

Head to Head

You’d have to go back to 2011 for the last time Ipswich Town defeated Arsenal in any competition, and they are yet to record a victory against the Gunners in the Premier League era. 

However, they have shown they can stand against the big boys. They put up a good fight against Liverpool and made life difficult for Villa and United.

Ipswich will need to channel the spirit of those performances to secure a result against the Gunners on December 27.

The Tractor boys must grind out a good result, as it could be crucial for their survival in the Premier League this season. 

Best XIs 

Arsenal 

David Raya has been a mainstay between the sticks for the north Londoners. The Spanish goalkeeper should continue to dominate between the sticks.

We will likely see Jurrien Timber line-up in the right-back position alongside William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Riccardo Calafiori. 

A full-strength midfield is a must for Arsenal, as Ipswich can be impressive in the middle. Captain Martin Odegaard will hope to open opposition lines while Declan Rice and Thomas Partey provide steel and thrust.

Arsenal have struggled up top with Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli firing blanks, leaving talismanic winger Saka to carry most of the attacking threat. The trio will look to cause havoc against Ipswich.

(4-3-3): Raya; Calafiori, Saliba, Kiwior, Timber; Odegaard, Rice, Partey; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli.

Ipswich Town

The visitors will likely shield goalkeeper Arijanet Muric behind a defence consisting of Harry Clarke, Dara O’Shea, Jacob Greaves and Leif Davis. 

Expect Wes Burns, Omari Hutchinson and Jack Clarke to support Delap in front of a double pivot of Jack Taylor and Sam Morsy.

Ipswich could be without defender Axel Tuanzebe due to a hamstring injury. Chiedozie Ogbene may be unavailable due to an Achilles tendon injury, while George Hirst’s knee issue might prevent him from featuring.

(4-2-3-1): Muric; Clarke, O’Shea, Greaves, Davis; Morsy, Taylor; Burns, Hutchinson, Clarke; Delap.

Ticket info

Fans can cheer their favourites live by purchasing tickets from the official channels. Visit the club websites to snap them up.

Those looking to book a spot in the stand at a subsidised rate should look no further than Seatsnet.com, which remains the best marketplace for every Premier League fixture. 

How to watch

Premier League matches are shown on television in the United Kingdom (UK) on Sky Sports, TNT Sports and Amazon Prime Video, with 200 games shown live each season.

Sky Sports shows 128 Premier League TV fixtures, TNT shows 52 matches, and Amazon Prime shows 20 live games. 

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