Ipswich Town will have to raise their game again when they welcome Premier League high-flyers Southampton to Portman Road Stadium on Wednesday for their FA Cup third round replay.
Mick McCarthy’s men produced an impressive defensive display at St Mary’s in the original fixture as they frustrated a full-strength Southampton side in a 1-1 draw, despite managing just 34 per cent ball possession.
The Championship side could not build on that big result as they suffered their first defeat at home in five months in a crucial league match against promotion rivals Derby County. That disappointing 0-1 defeat meant that Ipswich dropped to third in the Championship table.
They will have big task trying to bounce back in the FA Cup because Southampton will have a spring in their steps after recording their best result of the season in the Premier League when they defeated Manchester United 0-1 at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The Saints are now third in the Premier League with a good chance of finishing in the top four at the end of the season. Ronald Koeman will not dwell on that momentous win because the Dutch boss is eager to extend Southampton’s impressive season into the FA Cup.
Koeman has already backed his claims of taking the FA Cup very seriously by fielding a strong starting XI when Southampton welcomed Ipswich last week.
Despite being held at home, the Saints will still fancy their chances of progressing because they usually perform well against sides from lower divisions in the FA Cup. Southampton have lost just once in 19 FA Cup games against sides from lower leagues in a run that includes 15 wins.
Ipswich Town team news
- McCarthy will be without the midfield trio of Cole Skuse, Teddy Bishop and Jay Tabb due to illness.
Southampton team news
- Toby Alderweireld is unlikely to feature after picking up a hamstring injury at Old Trafford.
- Sadio Mane (calf), Jake Hesketh (knee), Jack Cork (ankle/foot), Sam Gallagher (knee) and Jay Rodriguez (knee) are also on the sidelines.
- Striker Emmanuel Mayuka is on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Zambia, and Japanese defender Maya Yoshida is at the Asian Cup with Japan.
Ipswich Town vs Southampton prediction
McCarthy may keep the side that he used at Southampton with strikers Daryl Murphy and David McGoldrick keeping their place in the side while Steven Hunt and Kevin Bru return to midfield after they were dropped from the starting XI in the defeat to Derby.
Koeman will probably go for his strongest side again with Morgan Schneiderlin and Victor Wanyama starting in central midfield while Dusan Tadic return to the starting line-up to join Steven Davis in flanking James Ward-Prowse as the three attacking midfielders behind Graziano Pelle in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Ipswich rarely lose at home and they may show more ambition than they did at St Mary’s, but Southampton will be favourites and they will probably control this game. Koeman’s men should have enough to edge this contest considering their quality, plus their confidence levels after defeating Manchester United.
