Ipswich Town vs Southampton Prediction & Betting Tips - Championship

Prediction published on 30/03/2024, 12:30  by Daniel Ngulu | Modified on 01/04/2024 at 04:30 in Championship Prediction

Championship leaders Ipswich Town will hope to keep rising when they welcome Southampton to Portman Road on Monday. Ipswich Town head into this game sitting top of the league while Southampton are three places lower. For a side in their first season after promotion, Ipswich clearly hold the season’s biggest surprise. They scaled to the top of the Championship standings on Friday with a 1-0 away win at Blackburn Rovers. The win, courtesy of Connor Chaplin’s lone strike, was their eighth in nine matches. Taking advantage of Leeds United and Leicester City dropping points, Ipswich took a crucial step in their automatic promotion quest. At 84 points, they are two ahead of third placed Leicester in the chase for a top two finish. The Tractor Boys now have their place in the top six secure, but they are clearly going for more than that. Their form in attack has been a major force in their season, as they currently are the highest scorers in the Championship. Ipswich have however conceded the most goals in the top five.

Southampton will be keen to avoid a second straight defeat at the hands on Ipswich Town. Playing at home in the reverse fixture, the Saints lost 1-0 to the newly promoted side. It hasn’t also been great for them in the run up to this game. Resuming action after the international break, Southampton could only manage a 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough on Friday. They’ll rue having conceded a stoppage time goal, as they seemed to be coasting to a third straight win. That result left them with two wins in their last six matches. Southampton have lost half of their last eight matches but four wins in five away league games will give them confidence. Having scored 74 goals in the league, Southampton are the joint, second-best scoring side in the Championship. However, like Ipswich, they haven't been really tight at the back. They’ve conceded 48 times in 37 matches. A 3-1 loss to Bristol City in February is Southampton’s only defeat in 14 away league games. They won seven of those 14.