David Flower
Dailysports's expert
Southampton
Ipswich
One of the matches in the fifth round of the Premier League will take place on Saturday at St Mary's Stadium, where Southampton will host Ipswich. Here’s the prediction from the expert team at Dailysports.
Southampton
The "Saints" made a successful return to the top division after navigating the playoffs, defeating West Bromwich Albion (3-1 on aggregate) in the semifinals and Leeds in the final. Despite their summer recruitment efforts, results have yet to materialize.
Southampton has struggled in their first four league matches, failing to secure a single point. They lost to Newcastle (0-1) despite playing with a numerical advantage, followed by a defeat against Nottingham Forest (0-1), and before the international break, they lost to Brentford (1-3). Last weekend, Southampton suffered a heavy 0-3 defeat at home to Manchester United. However, they found some solace in the League Cup, securing victories over Cardiff and Everton.
Ipswich
The "Tractor Boys" also spent last season in the Championship, finishing second and earning direct promotion to the Premier League. Although they have strengthened their squad, results have been disappointing thus far.
In their first four matches, Ipswich managed just two points, drawing 1-1 with Fulham and 0-0 with Brighton last weekend. They also faced defeats against top teams, losing to Liverpool (0-2) and Manchester City (1-4). Additionally, Ipswich was eliminated from the League Cup after a penalty shootout loss to Wimbledon.
Match Facts
- The "Total Over 2.5" bet has hit in only one of the last five matches.
- The "Both Teams to Score" bet has hit in five of the last seven encounters.
- In the last four matches involving Southampton, the "Total Over 2.5" bet has hit.
H2H
Last season, the teams met twice in the Championship, with Ipswich winning both encounters. In the last six matches at Southampton, four have ended in draws.
Probable Line-ups
- Southampton: Ramsdale, Bree, Garwood-Bellis, Wood, Taylor, Ugochukwu, Lallana, Kourne, Aribo, Fraser, Armstrong
- Ipswich: Muric, Tuanzebe, O'Shea, Greaves, Davis, Morsy, Phillips, Burns, Gatkin, Smodic, Dilep
Prediction
Bookmakers give a slight edge to the home side, pricing Southampton's victory at 2.25. However, both teams have struggled in the league, so our bet is "Total Under 3.0" at odds of 1.60.
