Crystal Palace vs Ipswich

Crystal Palace come into this on the back of a difficult run of 3 consecutive defeats, having taken 6 points from their last 5 matches. 7 goals scored and 11 conceded in their last 5 appearances point to a side that can generally find a way to score. Stopping the rot of 3 straight defeats will be top of Crystal Palace's priority list. Goalless afternoons have been a recurring issue for Crystal Palace, who have failed to score 2 times recently — breaking that habit will be crucial.

For Ipswich, the picture is quite different. The numbers tell a clear story for Ipswich: 3 wins, 0 draws and 2 losses in their last 5 outings, worth 9 points — an excellent return. Their attacking output stands at 11 goals in 5 matches. Ipswich will be riding a wave of confidence on their current 3-game surge. Over their last 6 meetings, 4 have ended in home victories, 2 in away victories and 0 in draws. Goals have been at a reasonable level, with an average of 2.5 per game.

Given the attacking firepower on display, this could be a high-scoring affair. Both sides have shown they can find the net regularly, and the defensive records suggest opportunities will come. With little to separate these sides, the match could go either way. The team that handles the pressure better and makes fewer mistakes will likely come out on top.

This is a closely contested fixture, with the data suggesting a draw (24%) is the most likely outcome. The predicted scoreline of 3-4 reflects the evenly matched nature of the contest. Confidence here is modest at 45%, reflecting just how hard this fixture is to call. All eyes turn to the Premier League when this one gets under way.