
Ipswich Town and Arsenal could each see their respective fates sealed this weekend as the hosts' survival hopes slip away, and the Gunners fall short in the title race.
It looked like the Tractor Boys were on course for an unlikely victory at Stamford Bridge last weekend, but two second-half goals for Chelsea saw Ipswich drop points in somewhat typical fashion.
Kieran McKenna’s side have conceded far too many late goals this term. Their relegation back to the Championship after one season in the top flight has felt inevitable for quite some time.
Ipswich have lost nine of their last 10 home fixtures in the Premier League, though their one triumph at Portman Road during that run was against Chelsea. They kept it close against Arsenal in the reverse fixture, losing by the odd goal.
Arsenal got the job done at the Bernabeu on Wednesday with minimal fuss. Their attention now turns to the semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain later this month, with little left to play for domestically.
The Gunners have a nine-point cushion ahead of sixth-place Chelsea, so qualification for next season’s Champions League is all but secured. They will, however, want to ensure that Newcastle United (four points behind) or Nottingham Forest (six points behind) do not catch them.
Mikel Arteta’s men dropped points in each of their league fixtures ahead of the Real Madrid matches. The manager may rotate at Portman Road with an eye on PSG nine days later.
Ipswich have found it difficult to breach the Arsenal defence over the years. They have met 11 times in the Premier League era, with the Tractor Boys scoring just four goals across those head-to-heads.
The East Anglian outfit have not managed a league success over the Gunners since 1984, but they have scored a couple of cup victories over Arsenal since then.
One of those cup triumphs was in the League Cup semi-finals in 2011. The Tractor Boys won the first leg 1-0, but that lead was overturned at the Emirates Stadium two weeks later.
Kai Havertz scored the only goal when the sides met in North London in December.
Matches between these clubs aren’t always goal-heavy, but Arsenal have not minded that in recent years.
Ipswich’s defensive troubles could see the Gunners run up a score if they’re in the mood.
The best bet for this fixture is a bet builder for the first half, including over 4.5 Arsenal shots, under 5.5 Ipswich shots, and under 3 Ipswich corners.
The recommended bet for this match contains three elements, but it all feeds into the same game script. This bet builder has landed in each of Arsenal’s last seven Premier League fixtures, as they have outshot their opponents in the first half on each occasion.
Ipswich’s last seven games also make for pretty reading with regards to this bet. They have managed more than five shots in the first half just once during that run, as they had six efforts in the opening 45 minutes at Bournemouth. They have allowed at least seven first-half shots in each of those matches.
In Arsenal’s last seven league games, they have allowed only eight total first-half corners and never more than two. Over the same period, Ipswich have averaged one first-half corner per match.
An early Arsenal goal would not be ideal for this angle, but they should be so in control that it doesn’t matter, such is the gulf in quality.
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