For Ipswich supporters, Friday night’s match at Hillsborough will have as much significance for their chances of promotion as Saturday’s televised lunchtime kickoff. Kiel McKenna’s team overcame a scare midweek, defeating Bristol City 3-2 despite falling behind twice and missing a late penalty to tie the score. Leif Davis’ goal turned the home crowd from despair to euphoria. They will need to perform better every time if they want to go back to the Premier League, but they will view this as a must-win match to both keep Leeds at bay and increase the pressure on the struggling Foxes at the top of the table.
They will view this as a must-win game to both hold Leeds at away and put further pressure on the struggling Foxes at the top of the table. They will need to routinely put in better performances than that if they are to return to the Premier League.
If Cardiff wins this match, supporters will start to question whether a play-off berth is truly possible. After a run of four points from seven games, they were staring down the barrel of relegation, but three straight victories have put Erol Bulut’s team in the cozy, safe embrace of 10th place, and a seven-point deficit to sixth place isn’t entirely insurmountable.
Ipswich should be able to justify their low cost despite the home team’s strong performance. There is just a quality difference between these two teams. Cardiff has hosted six of the teams that are currently above them and has suffered losses to five of them. The only other exception was Coventry, whom they defeated in September despite Mark Robins’ team having a dismal start to the year. After winning their last three away games, Ipswich should win this one as well.
Leg 2: BTTS No
This effectively ends their seven-game losing streak in away games this season. ‘Ipswich to win to nil’ looks even better now. They’ve won ten games overall while playing away, which highlights how crucial a strong defensive effort is.
