Villa travel to Portman Road on Sunday, with the opportunity to go joint top of the Premier League. It is remarkable stuff. These are early days in what looks set to be a long campaign, but one can’t help but pause for a moment and appreciate the fine job that Unai Emery is doing. The Spaniard must next navigate Ipswich Town.
PREVIEW: IPSWICH v VILLA
Our hosts have struggled so far this term, without a win in six and have had fewer shots (14) than Erling Haaland (19). It’s been a rough return to top-flight football for sure. We know all about rough times though, let’s just cast our minds back to February 2017. Ipswich came to B6 and won, sending a Steve Bruce Villa side that was winless in 8 matches to 16th in The Championship. How our fortunes have improved since those rudderless days.
Emery must do without John McGinn who is out for a few weeks after sustaining a hamstring injury in the victory over Wolves. A completely changed and decidedly youthful Villa team made hard work of defeating Wycombe in the EFL Cup midweek, but expect Watkins and company to return at the expense of Duran, Buendia and Gauci. Leon Bailey looks the obvious swap for Villa’s injured captain.
These types of games aren’t without their risks, and no PL game should be taken lightly. However, this is a real opportunity here to put another win on the board and perhaps build our points total before an inevitable fallow period further down the line. Emery no doubt knows this, but doesn’t tend to be sentimental; he’s only lost once to a newly promoted side whilst Villa boss.
PREDICTION
Ipswich 0-3 Aston Villa
Embed from Getty ImagesOPPOSITION
Ipswich Town Football Club were founded in 1878. Ipswich, known as “The Tractor Boys,” plays their home games at Portman Road, a stadium with a capacity of over 30,000. Ipswich enjoyed their main successes in the mid-20th century.
The club’s golden era came under the management of Sir Alf Ramsey and Sir Bobby Robson. Ramsey, who managed Ipswich from 1955 to 1963, led the team to its first major triumph by winning the First Division title in 1961–62, just two seasons after gaining promotion from the second tier. Ramsey’s success at Ipswich earned him the England national team manager’s job, where he famously secured victory in the 1966 World Cup.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Ipswich enjoyed another period of success under Bobby Robson. During this time, the club won the 1978 FA Cup and the 1981 UEFA Cup, establishing them as a force in both domestic and European football. Robson’s era remains iconic for the team’s attractive playing style and its development of future England internationals like Terry Butcher and John Wark.
Ipswich spent much of its existence between divisions, having played in the Premier League during the 1990s and early 2000s. However, recent years have seen the club primarily competing outside of the top flight.