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Arsenalvs.Ipswich

sportsmole.co.uk, yesterday at 08:20
Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna has lost captain Sam Morsy to suspension ahead of Friday's Premier League clash with Arsenal at the Emirates.

The Tractor Boys skipper collected his fifth yellow card of the season in the weekend's 4-0 loss to Newcastle United, meaning that he will be serving a one-match ban while his teammates try to quell the Gunners.

Kalvin Phillips and Jack Taylor are the two natural replacements for Morsy, but even though the latter scored a dramatic winner against Wolverhampton Wanderers two gameweeks ago, Phillips's Premier League nous should win out.

The on-loan Manchester City midfielder will link arms with Jens Cajuste in the heart of McKenna's 4-2-3-1 setup; from the outside, the Ipswich boss may be tempted to go five at the back, but he has not altered his starting formation once this season.

While Morsy is now suspended, chief attacking threat Liam Delap is available again after his own ban and should come straight back into the side, most likely as a straight swap for Conor Chaplin.

Omari Hutchinson can expect to start against his former employers, but potentially on the right rather than in the number 10 slot, as McKenna may consider promoting Jack Clarke to the first XI and starting Sammie Szmodics centrally instead.

McKenna may not bring in another defender, but he could alter his rearguard personnel after the Newcastle loss; Jacob Greaves and Ben Johnson are candidates to displace Cameron Burgess and Harry Clarke - another one-time Arsenal man - respectively.

Chiedozie Ogbene (Achilles), Janoi Donacien (fitness), George Hirst (knee) and Axel Tuanzebe (thigh) will play no part in this one for the visitors.

Ipswich Town possible starting lineup:

Muric; Johnson, O'Shea, Greaves, Davis; Cajuste, Phillips; Hutchinson, Szmodics, Clarke; Delap

Written by

Ben Knapton

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