Footballer-turned-pundit Chris Sutton has predicted Arsenal will come away with a comfortable victory when they face Ipswich Town in the Premier League this week.
Premier League aspirants Arsenal picked up maximum points when they locked horns with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday, 21st December. Gabriel Jesus scored an excellent brace whereas Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli, and Declan Rice chipped in with one goal each to seal a 5-1 victory for the Gunners. With Chelsea dropping two points against Everton, the victory saw Arsenal move with a couple of points of the second-placed Blues.
Ipswich Town, meanwhile, suffered a torrid evening against Newcastle United on Saturday. Kieran McKenna’s side could not cope with the Magpies’ explosive attack and succumbed to a demoralizing 4-0 defeat. The Tractor Boys are currently in 19th place in the rankings, two points behind 17th-placed Leicester City.
Chris Sutton Predicts Easy Win for Arsenal Over Ipswich Town
Arsenal will be without Bukayo Saka (hamstring) for the Boxing Day clash at the Emirates Stadium, while Ipswich Town will welcome Liam Delap back from suspension. Despite these two key changes, Sutton does not expect Ipswich to give Arsenal a hard time.
Predicting the outcome of the Matchday 18 clash, Sutton wrote in his BBC column:
“Ipswich missed the suspended Liam Delap in their heavy home defeat against Newcastle. He will be back for this game, but I don’t see him making much difference to the outcome. Saturday was the kind of thumping that might put a massive dent in Ipswich’s confidence and this is a big test for them. I know they have already won in north London this season, when they saw off Tottenham in November, but it is hard to see them getting anything at Emirates Stadium.
“It is important for Arsenal that Gabriel Jesus is back in the goals. They are going to miss the injured Bukayo Saka for the next few weeks but they will still have too much firepower for Ipswich. The Tractor Boys are in the relegation zone at Christmas and I want to say that I feel sorry for my daughter’s teacher Mr Fields, who is an Ipswich fan.”
He concluded by adding:
“I still think they have got a chance of staying up and I still rate their manager, Kieran McKenna, very highly – but that Newcastle defeat was a big blow for them. They are still without a home win this season and that has to change quickly if they are going to have any chance of beating the drop.”
Sutton’s prediction: Arsenal 2-0 Ipswich
The two times have met 59 times over the years, with Arsenal winning 30, Ipswich 18, and 11 games ending all square.
