An old fixture returns when Ipswich Town welcome Everton to East Anglia on Matchday 8 of the 2024/25 Premier League season.
Everton travel to play a league game at Ipswich for the first time in 23 years as they fight for points in the new top-flight campaign.
Overall, Everton have a very good head-to-head record against Ipswich but from their last Premier League meeting in 2002, the Toffees had failed to win for four straight matches.
Ipswich are making history as they are back in the top tier of English football after a 22-year absence, following back-to-back promotions from the League One and Championship. They also became the fifth team to ever do so and first since Southampton in 2012.
The Tractor Boys produced 96 points to seal the runner-up spot while scoring the most goals with 92 in total. Hence, Kieran McKenna was named as the EFL Championship Manager of the Season for his outstanding achievements.
After warding off interest in their manager by handing him a contract extension, Ipswich are gearing up for the bruising lessons that await them.
They will require more than just mental toughness having seen all three promoted teams head straight back to the EFL Championship last season. Hence, Ipswich Town along with Leicester City and Southampton will be aware that the gap between the top two divisions is a considerable one these days.
Nevertheless, McKenna’s side will back themselves having been excellent from the start of last season’s Championship as they were able to turn a three-horse race for second place into a three-horse race for first after Leicester suffered a stumble in form halfway through the campaign.
They meet an absolute brute of a team in Everton and must be ready to take points off Sean Dyche’s men.
Everton will be desperate for a less chaotic campaign where they can improve as a team after they were charged with two separate breaches of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules for losses of £124.5 million in the three years up to 2021/22, with the limit being £105 million.
Their initial 10-point deduction, later reduced to six, was the biggest in Premier League history.
Despite the huge sporting disadvantage they found themselves in last term, Everton went on a 14-game winless streak over the winter period but ultimately gathered 40 points which were enough to secure 15th position and thus Premier League survival.
It is now time to kick on and they will be keen to prove their worth as a stable top-flight side this season. The Merseysiders already boast the physical and mental toughness that is characteristic of Dyche’s teams, and if they can sort the finances they should be able to put together a resilient side.
Everton host Brighton on the opening day of the season and they will have faced some tough opposition before their fourth away game. Hence, it is set to be a keenly contested match when they face an attack-minded side like Ipswich who will be keen to impress their home crowd.
The Blues will be taking no prisoners, given their recent punishments, and they will be desperate to lay an effective ambush at Suffolk.
Match tickets
This Premier League fixture takes place on Saturday, 19 October 2024 with kick-off scheduled for the traditional slot at 3 PM UK time. Match tickets are available for sale on each club’s website but note that season ticket holders and club members will be given priority consideration.
Every single game at Portman Road Stadium this season will be a joyous occasion for the Ipswich fans who went over two decades without a top-flight game there. Hence, the almost 30,000-capacity arena is sure to be sold out when a bonafide Premier League side in Everton visits in October.
Match tickets will surely be scarce due to overwhelming demands on official sources, so we urge those still looking for Ipswich Town vs Everton tickets to get them on a resale site.
Team news
Ipswich have done their bit to improve the squad and signed Liam Delap, Omari Hutchinson, Arijanet Muric, Jacob Greaves and Ben Johnson. Meanwhile, they are already having to deal with injury as Nathan Broadhead is expected to be sidelined for a couple of months, missing the start of the season.
For Everton, they struggled to create or score goals consistently last season and they have prioritized strengthening the forward areas of the pitch with Iliman Ndiaye already joining from Marseille. They plan to further bolster their attack by signing Jesper Lindstrom from Napoli.
Manchester United were intent on taking young defender Jarrad Branthwaite from Goodison Park this summer but two offers were quickly rejected as Everton are prepared to offer him a new contract.
Line-ups
Ipswich have steamrolled to the top flight thanks to their possession-based style of play along with high-pressing that helps to sustain their attacks. McKenna’s ability to develop young players has also been hailed as their dynamic system allows the team to build up play from the back or play long balls to Kieffer Moore up front.
Ipswich: Muric; Tuanzebe, Woolfenden, Burgess, Davies; Morsy, Luongo; Hutchinson, Chaplin, Burns; Moore
Everton would be well-drilled and resilient like a typical Dyche side but they will be happy to field several new players from the start in this game.
Everton: Pickford; Patterson, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Young; Lindstrom, Gueye, Doucoure, McNeil; Ndiaye, Calvert-Lewin
Prediction
This game is a chance to write new chapters in the long history of this fixture so both teams essentially have a clean slate before kick-off. Ipswich will be brave on the ball and poised to take control in front of their fans, but this tactically plays into the hands of Everton who are comfortable waiting for opportunities to spring swift counterattacks.
This sets the tone for a lively contest, and either team is capable of damaging their opponents should they get the openings. The visitors will yet be playing with experience of this league, and that is enough to make a difference.
Ipswich Town 1-2 Everton