Fulham vs. Ipswich Town preview, H2H, team news, line-ups, and prediction

Fulham will hope to extend their seven-match unbeaten run when they host relegation-threatening Ipswich Town at Craven Cottage on Sunday.

After an opening-day loss to Manchester United, one would expect a season full of ups and downs for the West London club, but a five-game unbeaten run soon followed, giving the clearest indication that the Cottagers could be set for a competitive season.

They’ve put up commendable performances against strong sides this season and achieved positive results.

Marco Silva’s side has not lost a game against any of the Premier League’s top five, winning against Chelsea, Nottingham Forest, and Newcastle United while recording hard-fought draws against Liverpool and Arsenal.

It would have been an unbeaten first half of the season against the current top seven if Adama Traore hadn’t been wasteful in front of goal when they faced defending champions Manchester City.

Most of this success achieved by the club can be attributed to the incredible job Silva has done at Craven Cottage. Since taking over a relegated Fulham side, he achieved promotion the following season and has kept them firmly in the league and even achieved their best-ever league finish since 2008, where they finished in 10th place on 52 points.

The 2024-25 campaign looks likely to be another record-breaking campaign for the West Londoners, as they currently sit in eighth place on 29 points, only three points behind Newcastle in fifth place.

Fulham made it five matches without defeat in their last Premier League game of the year when they hosted a high-flying Bournemouth side that rallied back twice to secure a 2-2 draw.

Silva was seen visibly upset after Dango Ouattara’s 89th-minute equaliser, and one would understand the manager’s plight seeing that his side dominated spells of the game.

The draw to Bournemouth was Fulham’s eighth of the campaign; only Brighton and Hove Albion have recorded more draws this season than the London side.

On the other hand, Ipswich, under manager Kieran McKenna, have impressed with their performances, but results have been difficult to come by. Their draw against United and victories over Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea remain the highlights of their campaign so far.

These results go to show what McKenna is capable of doing when he has the right tools, but a lack of quality in his squad has been visible, particularly in defence.

Attack has been the most flourishing side of the pitch under the Northern Ireland boss with Omari Hutchinson and Liam Delap pulling the strings upfront for the Tractor Boys.

The attacking duo were on target for Ipswich against Chelsea as their goals led the Tractor Boys to their first home win in the Premier League since defeating Middlesbrough 1-0 in April 2002.

However, George Burley’s-led Ipswich side suffered relegation that season, and McKenna will hope that is not the club’s fate this season despite an underwhelming run of results.

It doesn’t get any easier for them as they face European-chasing sides in their next run of fixtures, including Brighton, City, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Tottenham, and United. The clash against Southampton and Bristol Rovers in the FA Cup looks to be their best bet to securing victories, as their next six matches would prove to be a deciding factor in their Premier League survival.

Sitting in 18th place on 15 points, Ipswich will aim for consecutive victories in West London when they travel to Craven Cottage to face Fulham on Sunday and could potentially move up to 16th place if Everton and Wolves drop points.

Fulham vs. Ipswich Town match details 

• Date: Sunday, 5th January, 2025
• Location: London, England
• Venue: Craven Cottage
• Kick-off time: 02:00 PM GMT
• Referee: Darren Bond
• Assistant referees: Scott Ledger, Matthew Wilkes
• Fourth official: Andy Madley
• VAR: Paul Tierney
• Assistant VAR: Dan Cook
• Tickets: Supporters can buy Fulham tickets through the club website or via reputable resellers like Seatsnet.com.

Match stats and head-to-head

• Fulham have dropped 19 points from winning positions, the most by any side in the past two Premier League seasons.

• Marco Silva’s side are on a seven-match unbeaten streak in the Premier League, their longest since Mark Hughes in 2010.

• All of Raul Jimenez’s six strikes this season have given the Cottagers a 1-0 lead; only Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wood (8) has netted more opening goals than the Mexican forward this season.

• Fulham are unbeaten in their last six matches against Ipswich in the Premier League, winning four and recording two draws.

• Fulham have amassed 29 points from their opening 19 Premier League matches this season (W7 D8 L4), marking their second-best halfway tally after 2022-23 (31). Notably, this total already surpasses their entire points haul in two of their last four full Premier League campaigns (26 in 2018-19, 28 in 2020-21).

• Ipswich Town have suffered 15 defeats in their previous 20 Premier League away matches in London (W3 D2), though they secured a 2-1 victory against Tottenham in November. The last time the Tractor Boys managed two away wins in the English capital during a single season was the inaugural 1992-93 campaign when they defeated Wimbledon and Spurs.

• Having gone on a four-game unbeaten streak away to Fulham between 1999 and 2015, the Tractor Boys have now lost their last two away games to the Cottagers, with the most recent being a 4-1 defeat in the opening game of 2018.

• Ipswich have failed to win 15 of their last 16 opening games of the year, losing seven and recording eight draws. The only time they secured victory in the first game of the year came in a League One clash against Gillingham in 2022.

• Fulham’s seven-match unbeaten run is their longest run of fixtures without defeat since going on a nine-game unbeaten streak from November to December 2008. However, their next defeat came in the first game of the new year, losing 3-1 at home to West Ham in January 2009.

• Ipswich’s two victories in four games are as many as they’ve recorded in their last 28 games combined, where they lost 17 and recorded nine draws. The last time the Suffolk-based club won consecutive games in the Premier League was between January and February 2002, and one of those wins came against Fulham.

Team news 

Fulham were without Kenny Tete, Reiss Nelson, and Harrison Reed in the 2-2 draw against Bournemouth, and at the time of writing, it is unclear if either of the trio will be available for selection on Sunday.

On a positive note for Marco Silva, summer signing Emile Smith Rowe returned to the bench in the clash against the Cherries after previously missing the Cottagers’ two clashes against Southampton and Chelsea.

Former Burnley star Sander Berge is also facing niggling concerns about his ankle, and his participation in this match hinges on passing a fitness test.

Sam Morsy returned to the starting lineup against Chelsea after serving a suspension in the defeat to Arsenal. The midfielder is expected to retain his place in midfield alongside on-loan Napoli midfielder Jens Cajuste, who has impressed so far at Portman Road.

Massimo Luongo has also missed the Tractor Boys last six games, and it remains to be seen if the 41-cap Australia international will be fit in time for the trip to West London.

Last season’s Sky Bet Championship top scorer, Sammie Szmodics, was declared ‘fit’ by head coach Kieran McKenna before the Chelsea game, and the Irish forward made a brief cameo in the second half.

Chidozie Ogbene, George Hirst, and Axel Tuanzebe are the other doubts for this clash with respective injury concerns.

Predicted starting lineup

Ipswich Town predicted starting lineup:

Walton; O’Shea, Greaves, Burgess, Davis; Morsy, Cajuste; Chaplin, Hutchinson, Szmodics; Delap.

Fulham predicted starting lineup:

Leno; Castagne, Diop, Andersen, Bassey; Traore, Pereira, Lukic, Iwobi, Robinson; Jimenez.

Prediction 

Ipswich are arguably in their strongest form this season, with two victories in their last four Premier League outings.

However, Fulham have been resilient, remaining unbeaten throughout December’s demanding festive schedule.

They not only secured vital points but also earned results that could prove pivotal, drawing against Arsenal and Liverpool before clinching a win over Chelsea.

The draw against bottom-placed Southampton is an indication that Ipswich can come here and gain something if they continue with their strong performance against Chelsea.

We’re predicting a 2-2 draw.