Crystal Palace vs Ipswich

When Crystal Palace hosts relegation-threatened Ipswich Town at Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon, they will be hoping to go closer to the top half of the Premier League standings.

After a close 1-0 victory at Portman Road in the rematch three months prior, the Eagles' victory would mark their first league double against the Tractor Boys since the 2010–11 Championship season.

Since the beginning of the year, Crystal Palace has been playing well. They have won eight of their previous eleven games in all competitions, drawn one, scored two goals or more in seven of those games, and kept six clean sheets.

Oliver Glasner’s team advanced to the FA Cup quarter-finals last weekend with a 3-1 home victory over Millwall. However, the win was overshadowed by a serious injury to Jean-Philippe Mateta, who suffered a deep laceration to his left ear due to a reckless challenge from Lions goalkeeper Liam Roberts. Mateta required 25 stitches but has since been discharged from the hospital, while Roberts has received a six-game suspension from the FA.

Before facing Fulham in the quarter-finals later this month, Crystal Palace shifts its focus back to the Premier League. The team currently sits 12th in the table, six points outside the top 10, after securing five wins in their last seven league matches.

Since December 3, Palace has been one of the league’s most in-form teams, accumulating 27 points (W8 D3 L3) in their last 14 matches—only Liverpool (33) and Arsenal (29) have earned more in that period. However, just eight of those points have come from home games at Selhurst Park (W2 D2 L3).

Despite that, Palace will be confident heading into Saturday’s clash, as they remain unbeaten in their last 18 home league fixtures against teams starting the day in the relegation zone (W12 D6). Their last such defeat came in February 2017, when they suffered a 4-0 loss to Sunderland.

After suffering consecutive defeats to Tottenham Hotspur (4-1) and Manchester United (3-2) in the Premier League, Ipswich Town faced further disappointment as they were eliminated from the FA Cup in the fifth round by Nottingham Forest on Monday. The match ended 1-1 after 120 minutes at the City Ground, with Forest ultimately prevailing 5-4 in a penalty shootout.

While the Tractor Boys would have hoped to advance closer to a Wembley final, their exit allows Kieran McKenna’s side to concentrate entirely on their remaining 11 Premier League fixtures and their fight to avoid an immediate return to the Championship.

Ipswich are still seeking their first Premier League victory in 2025, having recorded two draws and six losses since the start of the year. They have conceded at least two goals in seven of those matches, highlighting their defensive struggles. This poor run marks the first time in the club’s history that they have failed to win any of their first nine league games in a single calendar year.

Currently 18th in the Premier League standings and five points from safety, Ipswich will aim to close the gap by securing crucial points in their upcoming league matches against Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, and Bournemouth. A potentially decisive clash with 17th-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers awaits next month.

This weekend, Ipswich will travel to Selhurst Park for a league game for the first time since their heavy 5-0 defeat to Palace in the Championship back in November 2012. Notably, they have not lost consecutive away league matches against the Eagles since a three-game losing streak between 1988 and 1994.