Ipswich Town vs Liverpool
Match facts
- Competition: Premier League 2026/27, Matchweek 5
- Date and time: Friday 4 September 2026, 21:00 SAST / 20:00 BST
- Venue: Portman Road, Ipswich
- Referee: Darren England
- League positions: Ipswich 12th on 3 points, Liverpool 13th on 2 points
- Our call: Liverpool win, 61 percent, Good rating
Two managers, two awkward starts
Gary O’Neil took permanent charge at Portman Road in June, succeeding Kieran McKenna. Andoni Iraola replaced Arne Slot at Anfield over the same summer. The pair now meet as Premier League managers of new clubs, and neither start has gone to plan.
Ipswich opened with a 2-1 home win over Sunderland decided in the 90th minute, then were taken apart 5-2 at Old Trafford after leading through Leif Davis inside half an hour. Liverpool have drawn 2-2 twice, at Newcastle and at home to Nottingham Forest, rescued both times by late goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Victor Munoz. Two points from six is not the return Iraola wanted.
| Recent Premier League | Ipswich Town | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| Matchweek 3 | Won 2-1 v Sunderland | Drew 2-2 at Newcastle |
| Matchweek 4 | Lost 5-2 at Man Utd | Drew 2-2 v Nott’m Forest |
| Points | 3 | 2 |
| Position | 12th | 13th |
Team news
Ipswich Town
- Jaden Philogene-Bidace is out with an ankle injury
- Azor Matusiwa and Jack Taylor are both unavailable
- Emersonn, the club’s top scorer so far, is a doubt with a knee issue
Liverpool
- Joe Gomez is out with a muscle injury picked up in pre-season
- Federico Chiesa has yet to appear in 2026/27 with a back problem
- Hugo Ekitike and Conor Bradley remain unavailable
- Bradley Barcola, the club-record-adjacent arrival from Paris Saint-Germain, is in contention to make his debut
Head to head
The long history sits heavily with Liverpool, but the Portman Road record does not.
| Head to head | Detail |
|---|---|
| Total meetings | 74 |
| Liverpool wins | 38 |
| Ipswich wins | 14 |
| At Portman Road | 36 matches, 12 wins each |
| Last meeting | Liverpool 4-1 Ipswich, January 2025 |
The two numbers that pull against each other
Liverpool are unbeaten in 20 league meetings with newly promoted sides, 15 wins and 5 draws. That is the case for the pick. Against it, Liverpool are winless in six league matches, and Ipswich are hard to beat at home.
The counterweight is at the other end. Ipswich have kept one clean sheet in their last 36 top-flight games. A side that concedes that reliably will struggle to shut out a Liverpool attack led by Alexander Isak, however out of sorts the visitors have looked.
What our record says about a 61 percent pick
Every pick carries a confidence score, published before kick-off and graded against the full-time result afterwards. Across 68 graded picks this season:
| Band | Range | Record | Strike rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strong | 70 percent and above | 11-2 | 85 percent |
| Good | 55 to 69 percent | 17-10 | 63 percent |
| Close call | Under 55 percent | 11-17 | 39 percent |
Our overall record is 39 wins and 29 losses, a 57 percent strike rate. Our Premier League column specifically sits at 5-6. That is below water, it is published anyway, and it is part of why this pick is 61 and not 70.
What would beat this pick
- A draw. Liverpool have drawn both league games so far and 16 of our 29 losses this season have been draws. A third straight 2-2 would grade as a loss for us.
- Portman Road. Ipswich have been difficult at home, and the Sunderland win came from a 90th-minute goal in front of that crowd.
- Six games without a win. At some point a run stops being noise and starts being the team. We are not convinced Liverpool have turned yet, which is what the 61 reflects.
Published before kick-off and graded afterwards either way. Full board at sport-predictions.com, or see today’s football betting tips.
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