Ipswich Town will be looking to boost their playoff hopes with victory against high-flying Plymouth Argyle in their League One clash at Portman Road on Saturday.
The Tractor Boys are unbeaten in each of their last nine league games on home soil, while the Pilgrims have won four of their last five league games on the road.
Match preview
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While back-to-back draws against Portsmouth and Oxford United are decent results in isolation for Ipswich, Kieran McKenna will feel that his side have missed the opportunity to edge closer towards the playoffs.
The Tractor Boys are unbeaten in their last 10 league games, but five draws during this run means there is still work to be done if they wish to finish in the top six this term. McKenna's men currently sit ninth in the League One standings, six points behind Sunderland in sixth with seven games remaining.
Ipswich still have challenging fixtures ahead, including games against league leaders Rotherham United, second-placed Wigan Athletic and Saturday's opponents Plymouth.
If anyone is to put an end to Plymouth's impressive winning run then it could be Ipswich, who have lost only one of their last 11 meetings with the Pilgrims at Portman Road.
The Suffolk-based outfit have also kept clean sheets in each of their last five home league matches, so McKenna's side will be confident of success in front of their supporters this weekend.
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Plymouth, meanwhile, are enjoying an excellent run of form, winning each of their last six games without conceding a goal – no other team in the EFL have accumulated more points (18) than the Green Army during this period.
Steven Schumacher's side have climbed up to fourth in League One and have consolidated their place in the playoffs, as they sit eight points ahead of seventh-placed Sheffield Wednesday.
Plymouth's impressive run should be commended but more plaudits will come flooding their way if they maintain their high standards for the rest of the campaign, considering the final seven challenging fixtures they are soon to face.
Saturday's clash with Ipswich will be followed by games against Oxford, Burton, Wycombe Wanderers, Sunderland and Wigan before facing MK Dons on the final day of the season.
Plymouth have won only two of their last 11 league encounters against Ipswich, but that includes their most recent meeting in October last year, which saw them beat the Tractor Boys 2-1 at Home Park.
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Team News
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Ipswich defender George Edmundson is set to remain on the sidelines with an ankle injury, while Kayden Jackson could miss the rest of the season with a hamstring problem.
Lee Evans could return to the matchday squad this weekend, after missing the last month due to a knee injury, but the midfielder may be forced to settle for a place on the bench, with Tom Carroll and Tyreeq Bakinson set to retain their places in the first XI.
Joe Pigott, James Norwood, Macauley Bonne and Sone Aluko will all be competing for a place up front, though the former is the most likely to be given the nod on Saturday.
As for Plymouth, they received a boost this week when defender Dan Scarr returned to training after recovering from a hamstring injury.
The 27-year-old could be involved this weekend but he is unlikely to start, so James Bolton is set to keep his place alongside former Ipswich centre-back James Wilson and Macaulay Gillesphey in the back three.
Striker Ryan Hardie – who is the first Plymouth player since Reuben Reid in 2013-14 to score at least 10 away league goals in a single season – is set to lead the line with either Niall Ennis or Jordan Garrick.
Schumacher is unable to call upon striker Luke Jephcott and midfielder Panutche Camara this weekend, as both players are away on international duty with Wales Under-21s and Guinea Bissau respectively.
Ipswich Town possible starting lineup:
Walton; Donacien, Woolfenden, Burgess; Burns, Bakinson, Carroll, Thompson; Chaplin, Celina; Pigott
Plymouth Argyle possible starting lineup:
Cooper; Wilson, Bolton, Gillesphey; Edwards, Mayor, Houghton, Broom, Grant; Ennis, Hardie
We say: Ipswich Town 1-1 Plymouth Argyle
An intriguing contest between two in-form teams is set to take place at Portman Road, though there is more pressure on Ipswich to claim maximum points considering their position outside of the playoffs.
Although Plymouth came out on top in the reverse fixture, there is little to separate these two sides this time around and we feel that an entertaining score draw could be on the cards.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Ipswich Town win with a probability of 51.04%. A draw had a probability of 25.5% and a win for Plymouth Argyle had a probability of 23.44%.
The most likely scoreline for a Ipswich Town win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.56%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (9.75%) and 2-1 (9.38%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.08%), while for a Plymouth Argyle win it was 0-1 (7.79%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 12.6% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Ipswich Town in this match.
