Southampton meet Ipswich in a Sky Bet Championship season-defining showdown in the race for automatic promotion.
Victory will see Southampton reclaim fourth heading into the final day and keep their automatic promotion dreams alive.
Ipswich meanwhile will stay second and move mathematically onto the cusp of promotion with a three-point lead over Millwall going into the final day.
Team News
Ryan Manning is available for Southampton after he was suspended for their FA Cup exit against Manchester City at Wembley Stadium, London.
Alex McCarthy (wrist), Jack Stephens (calf), Flynn Downes (suspension) and Mads Roerslev (Achilles) remain absent.
Ipswich could again be without Leif Davis after he missed their last two matches due to a hamstring injury, but manager – Kieran McKenna otherwise has no fresh injury concerns to report following their 0-0 draw at West Bromwich Albion.
David Button (calf), Conor Townsend (ACL) and Ashley Young (hip) remain absent.
When is Kick-Off?
Southampton host Ipswich at St Mary’s Stadium on Tuesday 28 April at 7:45pm BST, live on Sky Sports in the UK.
Stat Attack
- Southampton have won one of their last five meetings against Ipswich (W1, D2, L2).
- Ipswich are unbeaten in their last five league visits to Southampton (W1, D4).
- Three of Southampton’s last four home matches against Ipswich in all competitions have ended in 1-1 draws, except for a 1-0 loss in September 2023.
- Cyle Larin has scored in three of Southampton’s last four home matches (W3, D1), except for a 2-1 comeback win against Derby County.
- Ipswich have kept just two clean sheets in their last seven matches (W3, D3, L1).
Prediction
In need of victory to keep their automatic promotion dreams alive until the final day, Southampton have to quickly use their FA Cup heartbreak as motivation because they definitely produced a brilliant performance, which was undone by two tiny but costly defensive errors.
Ipswich meanwhile lacked a clinical end product to beat a resilient West Brom defence whilst the Baggies also had the better attacking opportunities, but they crucially got a point which puts them in a good position to effectively secure promotion if they can put together a winning display.
I however do think that Ipswich must be wary of how Southampton performed in their huge clash against Wrexham days after their FA Cup Quarter-Final win over Arsenal, as I can see the Saints making changes and proving a tricky customer despite the obvious different mood.
Although a draw feels like a likely result which would suit Ipswich and end Southampton’s promotion push, I just think that Southampton will have enough quality to force a final-day four-team decider.
Prediction: Southampton 2-1 Ipswich
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