With their eyes set on a first taste of top flight triumph on home soil this term, Ipswich Town prepare to entertain Newcastle United at the Portman Road on Saturday afternoon in a billed Premier League fixture.
The Tractor Boys crushed Ipswich Towns survival hopes last weekend with a win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the West Midlands and the Magpies won two productive North-East encounters of the last week.
Wesley and his team-mates not only overcame their double-header trips to Dean Court and the Molineux Stadium against well-organised teams from the National League – the fifth tier of English football – four years ago; but the youngster’s Ipswich Town midfielder Jack Taylor had scored the last-gasp goal to give his team the much-needed victory against the wolves.
Home defeat for the Black Country hosts meant the sack for head coach Gary O’Neil and the Tractor Boys returned to East Anglia knowing that they had delivered a boost, a serious blow to one of the clubs they are in ‘direct rivalry’, not to mention that it helped them to avoid, at least for now, a chop for the Championship.
Ipswich’s second top-flight victory of the campaign ended the run of one draw and three defeats since the return to club football after the November international break, and while it took the home side to the 12th position in the standings, it left Kieran McKenna’s team 18th in the Premier League table, two points adrift of Leicester City’s 17th.
Unlike in their Championship and league one endeavours of recent past, the Tractor Boys have failed to perform adequately on home soil this season, the East Anglians being the only team in the division who has not tasted victory in front of their fans at their own backyard, however the newly promoted boys have tasted draws with some big teams this season including the likes of Manchester United and Aston Villa in their own den at Portman Road.
The fact that seven members of Ipswich's starting lineup at Molineux last weekend were a part of the team that finished second in the Championship the previous season shows how the hosts are sticking with the foundation of their success as they fight to stay in the top tier.
Newcastle's campaign has somewhat recovered after a four-game Premier League losing streak following the international break. They defeated Leicester 4-0 in the top flight and defeated Brentford in the EFL Cup on Wednesday night at St. James' Park.
Sandro Tonali, who has only scored once in his first season in England, was the talk of the North-East earlier this week after scoring two goals in the first half to help the Magpies defeat the visiting Bees 3-1 and secure a trip to the competition's semi-finals.
As they approach the conclusion of their 69-year streak without a domestic trophy, Newcastle must continue to concentrate on their top-flight objectives in order to prevent a season of mid-table mediocrity. After 16 games, Eddie Howe's team is now in 12th place in the Premier League rankings.
However, high-flying Nottingham Forest is only five points ahead of the Magpies in fourth place, so a run of successful games throughout the holiday season might give the North-East powerhouses hope ahead of their FA Cup matchup with League Two Bromley on January 12.
Although Howe's team has the ability to win three points on the road, as seen by their 3-1 victory at Nuno Espirito Santo's Forest on November 10, Newcastle has recently suffered two tough away journeys at Crystal Palace and Brentford, earning just one point from the games combined.
Liam Delap of Ipswich, who received his fifth yellow card of the season during last weekend's crucial victory over Wolves, will miss Saturday's match against the Magpies.
Given that George Hirst is out with a knee injury, the Tractor Boys will have a difficult time replacing the tall Englishman's goal threat.
The hosts' right-sided options have also been severely limited recently, as Chiedozie Ogbene (Achilles) and Axel Tuanzebe (hamstring) are both sidelined.
Due to suspension regulations, Newcastle will also continue to play without a vital player. Joelinton, a midfielder, received his fifth warning of the season against Leicester last weekend.
Sven Botman is very close to making his eagerly anticipated comeback after missing action since March owing to a cruciate ligament injury, but he will not play in East Anglia this weekend.
While Callum Wilson is still out, expected to be out until February due to a hamstring strain, Alexander Isak should continue to hold down the fort in attack.
Emil Krafth (collarbone) and Jamaal Lascelles (knee) will return in the New Year, joining fellow defender Botman in the medical room.
