A bite-sized look ahead to Ipswich Town’s home clash with Championship leaders Hull City.
When and where?
Tuesday, 7.45pm, Portman Road
What’s the team news?
Some of Town’s recent absentees are set to return, with Luke Hyam and Jonathan Douglas back for tonight’s game, but the likes of Ryan Fraser (hamstring), Cole Skuse (toe), Teddy Bishop (shin/hamstring), David McGoldrick (groin) and Giles Coke (knee) all remain out.
Piotr Malarczyk is out due to a kidney stone.
Who is their manager?
Steve Bruce has been there and done it as a player and is now a highly respected manager, having been in charge of the likes of Huddersfield, Crystal Palace, Birmingham, Sunderland and now Hull, who he took to the FA Cup final in 2014.
How have they been getting on so far this season?
They’re top of the league so they’ve been doing pretty well, losing just once in their last 10 games.
What does the two sides’ form look like over the last five league games?
Ipswich: -L-L-W-L-L
Hull: W-W-L-W-D
Who has the best record in this fixture?
Due to Hull’s rapid rise up the Football League pyramid, the teams have only played 32 times and the Blues have beaten the Tigers on just eight occasions. 14 wins to the Yorkshire side and 10 draws.
What happened when they met earlier in the season?
Ipswich were thoroughly outplayed at the KC Stadium as goals from Alex Bruce, Chuba Akpom and a superb effort from David Meyler ensured it was a long trip home for the Suffolk side.
Who is the ref?
Wiltshire’s Brendan Malone is the man in the middle for this game, having never been in charge of either side in his 10 years as a referee.
Who are the Hull danger men?
The Tigers have a Premier League squad in essence, with the likes of Abel Hernandez, Tom Huddlestone, Ahmed Elmohamady, Jake Livermore and Robert Snodgrass all dangerous. They have a strong backline too, including the likes of Curtis Davies and England international Michael Dawson.
What are the bookies saying?
The visitors are favourites at 11/8, the Blues are 23/10 and the draw is the same price. If you fancy a reverse of Ipswich’s 3-0 loss earlier in the season, Mick McCarthy’s side are 40/1 to turn the tables.
Anything else worth knowing?
The streak is on the line again, as the Blues go into tonight’s contest on the back of 16 straight Tuesday night home wins. Can they make it 17?
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