Preview: Ipswich Town vs Liverpool - prediction, team news, lineups

Still waiting for their first Premier League win of the season, Liverpool will travel to face promoted side Ipswich Town at Portman Road on Friday.

The Tractor Boys will be hoping to avoid another thrashing this week, while the Reds are desperate to finally take maximum points.

Match preview

Gary O'Neil's Ipswich kicked off their 2026-27 campaign in excellent fashion, but rounded out August by crashing back down to Earth.

The Tractor Boys were thoroughly beaten 5-2 by Manchester United on Sunday, in a game that saw Bruno Fernandes hit a hat-trick and Jacob Greaves score an own goal.

To be fair to O'Neil's men, they were able to take the lead through Leif Davis with less than half an hour on the clock, but the manager was disappointed with the manner in which they capitulated at Old Trafford.

Up against another Premier League giant on Friday, Ipswich will be buoyed by playing at Portman Road, where they ran out 2-1 victors against Sunderland in their opener, thanks to a 90th-minute winner from Jack Clarke.

Adding to the Tractor Boys' sense of cautious optimism is the fact that they also downed EFL Cup opponents Leicester City 3-1 in front of a home crowd on August 25, meaning they have won six of their last seven games overall.

Meanwhile, Andoni Iraola's Liverpool have made a lacklustre start to the season, and will be looking for a win this week to breathe spark life into their campaign.

The Reds came from behind twice to earn a point in a 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest last Saturday, when summer signing Victor Munoz lashed home a late equaliser on his first competitive start.

Iraola's side were on the hunt for more reinforcements in the transfer market, but deals for the likes of Brighton & Hove Albion's Yankuba Minteh, Crystal Palace's Ismaila Sarr and Chelsea's Malo Gusto failed to materialise before the deadline.

However, Monday saw Liverpool announce the signing of £123m winger Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain, and the club will be hoping the 24-year-old can help to push them over the edge towards three points on Friday.

The Reds were less than impressive on the road during their 2-2 stalemate with Newcastle United on matchday one, but bolstered by the arrival of Barcola, anything other than victory on Friday would be seen as a major disappointment.

Ipswich Town Premier League form:

Ipswich Town form (all competitions):

Liverpool Premier League form:

Team News

Ipswich are missing left winger Jaden Philogene-Bidace due to an ankle injury, and have doubts about the fitness of striker Emersonn, who is a doubt with a knee issue.

If the latter is unavailable, then Chuba Akpom could lead the line, flanked by Abdul Fatawu and Daizen Maeda, with Julio Enciso in the number 10 role.

The Tractor Boys are also lighter than ideal in the centre of the park, given that Azor Matusiwa has a muscle injury, Jack Taylor has a knee problem, and Florentino Luis is a doubt.

In their absence, Marcelino Nunez and Sasa Lukic are likely to line up in O'Neil's double pivot on Friday, shielding Issa Diop and Jacob Greaves at the heart of the hosts' defence.

Liverpool will be without a number of long-term absentees once again this week, as striker Hugo Ekitike recovers from an Achilles rupture, while centre-back Giovanni Leoni and right-back Conor Bradley undergo rehabilitation after suffering major knee injuries last term.

Compounding their absences is the muscle injury that Joe Gomez picked up in pre-season, as well as the minor back issue that has prevented forward Federico Chiesa from making an appearance in 2026-27.

With that in mind, expect to see Alexander Isak start up top, supported by a trio of Cody Gakpo, Florian Wirtz and Victor Munoz, with Bradley Barcola likely to start on the bench.

At the opposite end of the pitch, Virgil van Dijk looks set to be partnered by Jeremy Jacquet once again, while Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez operate as full-backs.

Ipswich Town possible starting lineup:

Scherpen; O'Shea, Diop, Greaves, Davis; Nunez, Lukic; Fatawu, Enciso, Maeda; Akpom

Liverpool possible starting lineup:

Alisson; Frimpong, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Gakpo, Wirtz, Munoz; Isak

We say: Ipswich Town 1-2 Liverpool

Ipswich may have been thrashed by Man United last time out, but they started that game brightly, and should be able to pose a threat on Friday.

However, Liverpool are desperate for their first win of the season, and despite their lacklustre defensive showings so far, the Reds will be expecting a narrow victory this week.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.