The Opta supercomputer has declared Liverpool the clear favourites as they prepare to face Ipswich Town. The Reds are given a 59.3% chance of securing victory, while the hosts hold just a 19.7% likelihood of winning. A draw stands at 21%.
Liverpool are currently on a six-match winless streak in the Premier League, suffering two defeats and settling for four draws. Under the guidance of Andoni Iraola, they kicked off the season with back-to-back 2-2 draws against Newcastle and Nottingham Forest, and the Spanish manager is still waiting for his first official win in charge.
As they head into Friday's clash, Liverpool will be eager to avoid what would be an unprecedented seventh match without victory. The last time the Merseysiders went 11 games without a win was during the 2002/03 campaign.
Defensively, the Reds haven’t had the best start, having conceded two goals in each of their opening two matches. The last time they began a campaign with multiple goals conceded in the first three matches was in the 2012/13 season.
On a brighter note for the visitors, they boast a remarkable 20-match unbeaten run against newly-promoted teams, with 15 wins and five draws in that span.
Interestingly, the last Championship team to defeat Liverpool was Bournemouth back in March 2023, when they were managed by the current Ipswich gaffer, Gary O'Neil.
Liverpool's Alexander Isak has found success against Ipswich in the past, having netted four goals during his two encounters while at Newcastle — including a hat-trick at Portman Road.
German midfielder Florian Wirtz is still finding his feet at the club, having created only two chances in his first two games, though he has made 11 line-breaking passes, the second-most in the league behind Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes. Speaking of United, they recently triumphed over Ipswich, finishing with a 5-2 score at Old Trafford.
Ipswich have had a solid start under O'Neil, registering a 2-1 victory over Sunderland in the league and a 3-1 win against Leicester City in the League Cup.
The Tractor Boys are currently on an 18-match unbeaten run at home in the league, with 17 of those outings being in the Championship.
As for team news, Liverpool could see the return of Joe Gomez and Federico Chiesa from injury, while Ipswich has Emerson's participation in question.
Historically, Liverpool has had the upper hand in this fixture, winning four consecutive Premier League matches against Ipswich while netting 17 goals in the process. Furthermore, the Merseysiders have not lost at Portman Road in their last six meetings.
Projected Lineups
Ipswich:
Scherpen, O'Shea, Diop, Greaves, Davis, Lukic, Nunez, Fatawu, Ennis, Maeda, Akpom.
Liverpool:
Alisson, Frimpong, Jeremy Doku, Virgil van Dijk, Milos Kerkes, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Victor Munoz, Dominik Szoboszlai, Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak.
