Strangely, Ipswich Town have enjoyed more successes on the road this season in the Premier League than on their own turf, with two away victories picked up to just one tallied up back in Suffolk.
One of those memorable outings away from Portman Road saw the Tractor Boys surprisingly topple Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur in North London, but Spurs did gain their revenge last time out when humbling Kieran McKenna’s men 4-1.
The relegation favourites will have to hope Manchester United have one of their off-days later on to pick up another scalp on their travels, with McKenna’s underdogs also having to be more clinical in order to pull off an unexpected result.
Ipswich's woes in attack vs Spurs
Indeed, the top-flight overachievers could have found a way back into the contest against Spurs if their shooting boots were on.
Across the course of the entertaining 90 minutes, the hosts registered a hefty 17 shots on the away side’s goal, with Tottenham just possessing that killer edge more effectively, considering the North Londoners only amassed ten shots themselves.
Away from these many spurned opportunities at Portman Road, Ipswich were far more clinical in a recent 1-1 draw away at Aston Villa, with Liam Delap firing home just one of his side’s four chances on the day after McKenna’s men were reduced to ten.
This same potency in front of goal will be key to picking up a positive result at the Theatre of Dreams, but the ex-Man United coach will also know his leaky team will have to be switched on more defensively, especially with Bruno Fernandes strutting his stuff more confidently in recent matches.
How Ipswich can shackle Bruno Fernandes
This stylish free-kick effort that left Jordan Pickford rooted to his spot gave Ruben Amorim’s men a lifeline on the road at Everton last time out, with the Portuguese attacking midfielder in inspired form for his inconsistent employers regardless of what results follow.
Across this campaign so far, the experienced Red Devils figure has ten goals and 12 assists to shout about in all competitions, with McKenna now tasked with silencing his explosive game tonight.
That’s where Dara O’Shea comes into the equation, with the Tractor Boys centre-back sticking out as a valiant performer at the back this season, even when Ipswich have been deep in some tough times near the foot of the league.
The battling 1-1 draw that was picked up at Villa Park by McKenna and Co might not have been possible without the attritional showing put in by the Irishman, with O’Shea making a sizeable 11 clearances to constantly clear away swarms of Villa attacks.
Stat
Southampton
Villa
Spurs
Minutes played
90
90
90
Goals conceded
2
1
4
Touches
84
39
51
Accurate passes
54/67 (81%)
11/17 (65%)
31/39 (79%)
Accurate long balls
7/10
2/3
4/6
Clearances
8
11
1
Blocked shots
2
2
1
Interceptions
1
1
1
Tackles
1
3
4
Total duels won
9/21
6/11
6/8
The £35k-per-week earner has put his body on the line all across February to date – when glancing at the table above – with a bumper 21 duels won across his last three Premier League contests, on top of eight tackles also being successfully completed.
Therefore, if a defence-first approach is preferred at Old Trafford to try and thwart Fernandes, the “unbelievable” centre-back – as he was once labelled by his former West Brom boss in Slaven Bilic – could be his current manager’s best bet.
It does feel unlikely that Ipswich will go through the entire contest without conceding, but if O’Shea can be as staunch as he can, a breakaway strike here or there could gift the Tractor Boys a chance to pick up a sublime fourth top-flight victory.
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