Ipswich Town vs Tottenham Hotspur: Team news and Premier League preview
Tottenham Hotspur travel to Portman Road to face 18th-placed strugglers Ipswich Town this Saturday in the 26th game week of the Premier League.
After nearly another full week of rest following their long-overdue home win against Manchester United, Spurs return to Premier League action against relegation candidates Ipswich Town.
What time does Ipswich Town vs Tottenham Hotspur kick-off?
- Location: Suffolk, England
- Stadium: Portman Road, Ipswich
- Date: Saturday 22nd February 2025
- Kick-off Time: 3 pm BST
- Referee: Tim Robinson
- VAR: Chris Kavanagh
How both teams go into Ipswich Town vs Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur will look to build on their 1-0 victory against Manchester United last Sunday. Before that, they suffered back-to-back cup exits. However, Spurs have now won consecutive Premier League games including a 2-0 victory over Brentford. Spurs have three wins and two losses in their last five fixtures, keeping a clean sheet in each of those victories.
Ipswich Town, meanwhile, sit 18th in the Premier League table, 13 points behind Spurs. They secured a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa in their last outing after thrashing Coventry City 4-1 in the FA Cup. However, their league form has been poor, with just one win in their last nine fixtures, though that win did come against Chelsea. Ipswich are winless in their previous six league games and are desperate for a result to turn things around.
The reverse fixture saw Ipswich stun Spurs with a 2-1 victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium back in November. Had Spurs won that game, they could have gone third, but things have only spiralled downwards since.
Tottenham team news
Spurs’ injury situation improved ahead of the United game, leaving Ange Postecoglou with decisions to make regarding returning players.
Heung-min Son, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Kevin Danso all suffered knocks but should be fit after a full week of recovery. Timo Werner may also return, having last featured against Tamworth in the FA Cup.
Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven remain doubts, meaning fans may have to wait longer to see the duo pair up again. The confirmed absentees are Dominic Solanke, Richarlison, and Radu Drăgușin.
Ipswich Town team news
Ipswich have several absentees for this clash. Axel Tuanzebe is suspended after his red card against Aston Villa. Chiedozie Ogbene, Christian Walton, Julio Enciso, and Wes Burns are all ruled out.
Meanwhile, Conor Chaplin, Leif Davis, Sam Morsy, and Sammie Szmodics are a doubt for this fixture.
Predicted Tottenham line-up
Vicario, Udogie, Danso, Davies, Porro, Kulusevski, Bissouma, Maddison, Johnson, Tel, Son.
Pedro Porro may start over Udogie if the latter isn’t fully fit. Bentancur could replace Bissouma in midfield if ready. Expect Ange Postecoglou to substitute Son earlier than usual for Wilson Odobert.
Our insights into Ipswich Town vs Tottenham Hotspur
Despite being newly promoted, Ipswich are fan favourites among the relegation candidates (a huge shoutout to Ed Sheeran) and are considered the least likely to go down. They’ve pulled off surprises against Spurs and Chelsea this season, while also earning draws against Manchester United and Aston Villa (twice).
Even in their last match against Villa, they went down to ten men before half-time yet took the lead and held on until the 70th minute for a draw. Kieran McKenna’s tactical setup troubled Spurs in the reverse fixture, but this time, form and stats favour Ange Postecoglou’s side.
We analysed Ipswich’s recent games, and here’s what we found:
- Struggle with possession. They rank 18th in the league for average possession (40%). Like Spurs, they attempt to build from the back, but even a slight press forces them to go long. Their backup goalkeeper Alex Palmer, despite being an excellent shot-stopper, struggles with distribution. His long ball accuracy is just 34.8%, averaging only eight successful long balls across two fixtures. This is one of those situations where Ange Postecoglou’s high line will help.
- Pressing pattern. When an opposing midfielder receives the ball from the defence, Ipswich send two markers to force a backward pass. This could disrupt Dejan Kulusevski, who has been struggling under pressure lately. To counter this, James Maddison and Kulusevski should stay closer together for quick one-twos before playing the ball out wide to Djed Spence, who usually runs into spaces.
- Set piece woes. Ipswich struggle both offensively and defensively in set-pieces. In the reverse fixture, Spurs’ only goal came from a corner. Ipswich tend to crowd their goalkeeper rather than marking opponents, often losing track of runners. Spurs should look to have more players that run in from the edge of the box rather than congest the goalkeeper.
Our prediction
The main threat will come from Liam Delap who has already scored 10 goals this season and is known for his physicality and ability to finish from tight angles. Another name would be Leif Davis – With 10 chances created this season, he has been a provider for Delap and Szmodics, though he remains doubtful for this game.
At the other end, Djed Spence has been in excellent form, ranking as the highest-rated defender in the Premier League in 2025 (7.52). Wilson Odobert, who impressed fans in his cameo against Manchester United, could also play a key role if introduced from the bench.
A win for Spurs would keep them in 12th place, but it would mean they are finally closer to the top four than the relegation zone. Ipswich, meanwhile, could climb out of the bottom three with a victory. However, given Spurs have key players back and Ipswich have only won once at home this season, an upset seems unlikely this time.
Both sides have scored seven goals in their last five matches, suggesting a goal-scoring contest. But with Guglielmo Vicario back in goal, Spurs could secure another clean sheet.
Predicted score: Ipswich Town 0-3 Tottenham Hotspur. COYS!
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