Preview: Blues vs. Ipswich Town
On Saturday afternoon, Blues play in the Sky Bet Championship against Ipswich Town.
The three previous encounters between the two teams all ended in score draws, so expect a sell-out away end in East Anglia as Birmingham City looks to win at Portman Road for the first time since Boxing Day 2008. Kickoff is at 3pm.
After the Club announced that Manager Tony Mowbray will be temporarily stepping away from the on-site management of the Club for a period of approximately six to eight weeks, the match will be the first under the direction of Men’s First Team Assistant Manager, Mark Venus. His no. 2 will be hoping to build on the good work since the 60-year-old’s arrival at St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park.
After Jordan James’ sixth goal of the year cancelled out Jack Clarke’s opening strike for the visitors, Birmingham City defeated Sunderland 2-1 last Saturday afternoon to make it back-to-back wins in the Sky Bet Championship. The win was secured by Koji Miyoshi.
With a seven-goal thriller win over Rotherham United in midweek, Ipswich Town maintained their strong league play, and both teams are confident going into this encounter.
The adversary:
Ipswich Town will be looking to build on their success from the previous season in the Sky Bet Championship under Kieran McKenna’s direction in order to perhaps end their 22-year Premier League drought.
The Tractor Boys, who have already lost twice this season, including an early-season setback at Portman Road, are currently only one goal behind Leeds United in third place in the automatic promotion spots.
Their victory over the Millers on Tuesday night marked their 11th victory at Portman Road, giving them the third-best home record in the division behind the two teams immediately above them in the league standings. That loss still stands as their only defeat in front of their home fans this season.
Kieffer Moore’s fourth goal in five appearances since joining on loan from AFC Bournemouth in January contributed to the victory in East Anglia, but Omari Hutchinson, another Premier League loanee, sealed the deal in the fifth minute of stoppage time with his fourth goal involvement in as many games in February. The 20-year-old is still having a great time in his first professional loan move away from Stamford Bridge.
Most recent action:
After a well-earned victory over Sunderland last Saturday afternoon, Blues made it two wins in a row in B9. Jack Clarke’s 15th goal of the season gave the Black Cats the lead in the first half, and Tony Mowbray’s team had to come back to win. However, Birmingham City equalized when Anthony Patterson stopped a shot from Tyler Roberts. Koji Miyoshi then had two attempts to clear the ball, but Jordan James finished coolly to seal the victory. When Jay Stansfield’s center deflected into the path of the Japan midfielder to prod the ball in and complete back-to-back league maximums for the first time since October, the points were sealed late in the game.
With a victory over bottom-place team Rotherham United, Ipswich Town overcame a late scare to maintain their lead at the top of the Sky Bet Championship standings. The Millers took an unexpected early lead thanks to a composed finish from Tom Eaves, but Wes Burns scored on both sides of Kieffer Moore’s efforts. Hakeem Odoffin’s goal and Cafu’s daring Panenka spot-kick gave Leam Richardson’s team hope late in the game, but Omari Hutchinson’s last-minute save kept the Tractor Boys unbeaten in their last four games.
Previous meeting:
The Blues were denied a victory against St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park in November by Marcus Harness’ equalizer in the 89th minute. Birmingham City led by two goals thanks to an own goal given credit to Cameron Burgess in the second half, after Jay Stansfield’s opening goal. With 11 minutes remaining, substitute Harness cut the lead in half and added his second goal with an incredible finish to share the victory in the West Midlands.
News for the team:
Alfie Chang, George Hall, and Alex Pritchard all out due to injuries for the Blues, but Dion Sanderson, who resumed training almost two weeks ago, will be rejoining the First Team.
Total history:
Blues triumph 30 to
Draws: 19.
Win for Ipswich Town: 35
Current outcomes:
Championship: Saturday, November 4, 2023, Blues 2-2 Ipswich Town
Championship: Saturday, April 13, 2019; Ipswich Town 1-0 Blues
Championship: Saturday, September 29, 2018, Blues 2-2 Ipswich Town
Championship: Saturday, March 31, 2018, Blues 1-0 Ipswich Town
Championship: Saturday, August 5, 2017, Ipswich Town 1-0 Blues
When Blues last visited Portman Road, Lukas Jutkiewicz was on the scoresheet.
When Blues last visited Portman Road, Lukas Jutkiewicz was on the scoresheet.
BluesTV:
This fixture can only be watched outside of the United Kingdom due to broadcast regulations. Click this link to get a £10 pay-per-view pass for international Bluenoses.
By visiting this link, Domestic Bluenoses can purchase an annual or monthly audio pass, which will allow them to listen to the fixture.
Officials of the match:
Referee:
Helping referees:
Fourth representative:
Attendees are asked to enjoy the game in a responsible and safe manner, understanding the effect that any disruptive behavior will have on other fans. The Club reaffirms that it will not tolerate any form of violence, intoxication, or pyrotechnics. Specifically, anyone found in possession of or using fireworks will be taken into custody and may face legal consequences. Furthermore, anyone who launches missiles will be dealt with according to the Club’s disciplinary matrix. Additionally, supporters are reminded that bigotry has no place in sport and that Birmingham City will keep working to end it throughout the league.
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