Manchester United vs Ipswich Town 26th February 2025: Premier League Preview and Prediction
Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United take on Ipswich Town tonight in a match that has never felt so ‘must win’ in United’s recent history.
Kieran McKenna returns to Old Trafford for the first time since leaving his assistant manager role to join Ipswich, and he will fancy his chances of leaving with all three points, given that the notion of Old Trafford being a fortress has been put to bed emphatically this season.
With the potential for Ipswich to cut the gap to Wolves to just two points and for United to drop to 16th by the end of the night, as well as both defences being vulnerable to imploding under the mildest sense of danger, a tight and tense affair is expected from the start.
Team News
For Manchester United it looks as if Noussair Mazraoui may miss out after picking up a knee injury at Everton. If so, he will join Kobbie Mainoo, Lisandro Martinez, Amad Diallo, Jonny Evans, Luke Shaw and Mason Mount among others on an alarmingly large injury list.
Leny Yoro, who made his injury comeback replacing Mazraoui on Saturday, looks to have come through the Everton test unscathed so will be available if picked. Toby Collyer may also be available but will likely start on the bench.
For Ipswich, the former United man Axel Tuanzebe should slot back into the squad after serving his suspension. It is not certain if either Jens-Lys Cajuste or Kalvin Phillips will be available after picking up injuries against Spurs at the weekend. If they don’t pass late fitness tests they will join Julio Enciso, Chiedozie Ogbene, Christian Walton and Wes Burns on the sidelines.
Previous Meeting and Team Analysis
The previous game between the two sides was Ruben Amorim's first as United manager and ended in a 1-1 draw. The now-departed Marcus Rashford scored the opener for United after 81 seconds, with Omari Hutchinson levelling for Ipswich just before half-time. On the balance of play, Ipswich shaded the game and would likely have won if not for some fine saves by Andre Onana.
United are seemingly stuck in a recurring nightmare, with Amorim sticking to his guns in using a formation that only plays to his team's weaknesses, while watching players considered surplus to requirements, such as Rashford and Antony, flourish away from the all-encompassing doom surrounding the club.
Their play is ponderous and turgid, and they can count themselves lucky to have 30 points to date this season. A win would put to bed any small talk of a relegation fight, but it’s a sign of the current mood that it is not expected of them to deliver one.
Ipswich have been playing some great football this season, with attacking players like Rory Delap and Omari Hutchinson shining for them. Their major issue is their defending, which can go from shoddy to comedically poor in seconds. They stand the best chance of any team in the bottom three of surviving if they can sort this out.
For tonight, they will go in with positivity and hope, putting United under pressure from the off. They can also take solace in the fact that they were defensively strong in the reverse fixture earlier in the season.
How to Watch and Kick-Off time
The game will be shown live in the UK on TNT Sports 4 and kicks off at 7.30pm GMT. If you live outside the UK, please check local listings for availability.
Prediction
Should United start with any sense of confidence then they can apply early pressure and Ipswich may crack but that is far from a given. For nothing more than pride and giving the home fans something to cling on to they must win this. However, I feel that Ipswich will turn up energised and ready to dominate the United midfield, providing Delap and Co. with multiple chances to take the victory and add another dusting of gloom to a miserable season for the Red Devils.
Predicted Score: Man Utd 1-3 Ipswich Town