Liverpoolvs.Ipswich

Arne Slot's men resume domestic action after confirming their place in the Champions League last 16, while the visitors are reeling from a six-goal slaughter at the hands of Manchester City.

Match preview

Preserving their impeccable European record and virtually guaranteeing a first-placed finish in the 36-team league phase, Liverpool survived a brief scare to see off 2020-21 Ligue 1 champions Lille at Anfield on Tuesday evening, thereby ensuring that they would bypass an unwanted two-legged playoff.

Mohamed Salah's exquisite curler and Harvey Elliott's deflected effort either side of a Jonathan David leveller gave Slot his seventh win from as many European matches at the Liverpool helm, and just one point against PSV Eindhoven next week will ensure that the Reds sail through as league phase 'champions'.

In addition to topping the continental table, Liverpool's lead over the chasing pack in the Premier League extended to six points yet again last weekend, albeit not without two heroic late interventions from the mercurial Darwin Nunez against a dogged Brentford side.

The Uruguayan's astonishing late brace both handed Liverpool their first Premier League success of the calendar year and extended their magnificent unbeaten run in the division to 17 matches since their first and only home loss under Slot's wing so far.

Since being unexpectedly slain by Nottingham Forest in mid-September, the Reds have remarkably managed to score at least twice in each of their last 14 home matches across all competitions, and the form book certainly suggests that 14 will become 15 when Ipswich pay a visit.

Then again, a road trip may be welcomed with open arms by the Tractor Boys faithful after a pair of humbling results at Portman Road, going down to Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester City by an aggregate scoreline of 8-0 over the past two gameweeks.

After an agonising 2-0 loss to the Seagulls on January 16, Kieran McKenna's men were comprehensively dismantled by resurgent champions Man City, who were three goals to the good by half time and added another trio of strikes to their tally in the second 45.

From the high of a three-game unbeaten run to the lows of back-to-back home defeats, Ipswich have slipped back into the Premier League relegation zone, although only an inferior goal difference is keeping them below Wolverhampton Wanderers in the relative safety of 17th.

Ipswich may be without a clean sheet in eight straight Premier League away matches, but they have accrued a striking 56% of their points on the road this season; of all 20 Premier League teams, only Crystal Palace (59%) have won more of their share of points on rival turf.

Anfield was coincidentally the location of Ipswich's most recent victory over Liverpool, although that 1-0 success came all the way back in December 2000, and the Reds' straightforward 2-0 Portman Road success in August made it four straight wins over their East Anglian foes.

Liverpool Premier League form:

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Liverpool form (all competitions):

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Ipswich Town Premier League form:

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Ipswich Town form (all competitions):

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Team News

Both Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch were taken off at half time in Liverpool's success over Lille; the latter's substitution was simply to give him a rest, but Slot confirmed that Jones had suffered a slight injury and was forced off the pitch.

Jones's availability for Saturday's contest is therefore clouded in uncertainty, but Alexis Mac Allister would be expected to slot straight back into the engine room either way, and Slot is definitely missing Diogo Jota (muscle) and Joe Gomez (hamstring) for the weekend.

After Slot made a handful of alterations in midweek, a refreshed Reds XI on Saturday should see the reintroduction of Cody Gakpo, who could emulate Ruud van Nistelrooy and Robin van Persie by becoming just the third Dutch player to score in five straight Premier League home games.

While Liverpool might lose an English midfielder for gameweek 23, Ipswich will welcome one back in the form of Kalvin Phillips, who was ineligible to face his parent club last weekend but could now step in for Sam Morsy in the middle.

The Tractor Boys' infirmary has also emptied out of late thanks to the recent returns of Axel Tuanzebe and George Hirst, but Sammie Szmodics (ankle), Conor Chaplin (knee) and Chiedozie Ogbene (Achilles) are still sidelined, while Jacob Greaves and Luke Woolfenden were also missing last time out for unexplained reasons.

McKenna unsurprisingly sacrificed an attacker for an extra defender against Man City, but that 5-4-1 formation was torn apart by Pep Guardiola's side, so the Ipswich boss may revert to his favoured 4-2-3-1 shape even against an equally menacing opponent.

Brighton & Hove Albion loanee Julio Enciso could be a beneficiary of such an alteration - his arrival was confirmed on Thursday - but he is unlikely to come into contention for a start just yet.

Liverpool possible starting lineup:

Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Chiesa; Gakpo

Ipswich Town possible starting lineup:

Walton; Tuanzebe, O'Shea, Greaves, Davis; Phillips, Cajuste; Johnson, Hutchinson, Philogene; Delap

We say: Liverpool 4-0 Ipswich Town

Ipswich have proven to be a tough nut to crack on the road in recent times - just ask Arsenal or Tottenham Hotspur - but their pitiful performance against Man City even with a defence-heavy setup was alarming.

Written by

Ben Knapton

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