Our bite-sized guide to Ipswich Town’s home clash with Fulham, with Andre Dozzell set to make his home debut.
When and where?
Tuesday, 7.45pm, Portman Road
What’s the team news?
No Daryl Murphy or Luke Varney and Cole Skuse is set to return, but the real headline is that Andre Dozzell is set to start, having scored the Blues’ equaliser at Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.
Ben Pringle can’t play against his parent club.
Who is their manager?
Slavisa Jokanovic is currently in the hotseat at Craven Cottage, having won promotion to the Premier League with Watford before harshly losing his job in the summer. He returned to English football in January, following a spell in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv.
How have they been getting on so far this season?
It’s not gone so well for Fulham, considering the squad they have available to them, and they currently sit 20th in the table. There is little danger of relegation, given they are nine points clear of the relegation zone with four games to go, but it’s been a disappointing season.
Recent form:
Ipswich: L-D-D-L-D
Fulham: D-W-W-W-L
Who has the best record in this fixture?
The two teams have only played 24 times with Ipswich winning nine compared to Fulham’s eight. There have been seven draws.
What happened the last time they met?
The Blues burst out the blocks at Craven Cottage in December, with Freddie Sears scoring just 16 seconds into the game. Ross McCormack levelled with a free-kick, before Brett Pitman scored the winner in the second-half.
Who is the ref?
Paul Tierney was the man in the middle for the Blues’ draw at Nottingham Forest earlier this season, as well as the 2-0 league defeat at Norwich last March.
He’s taken charge of games in the Premier League, Championship, League One, League Two, FA Cup, League Cup and JPT this season.
Who is the Fulham danger man?
It has to be McCormack. Had it not been for the £11m former Leeds and Cardiff, the Cottagers might be in an awful lot more trouble. He’s scored 23 goals in all competitions and is a constant threat, both in open play and from free-kicks.
Any familiar faces?
Both Richard Stearman and Ryan Tunnicliffe were at Portman Road on loan under Mick McCarthy and have each made more than 20 league starts for Fulham this season.
What are the bookies saying?
Ipswich are favourites at 21/20 with Fulham 14/5 and the draw 13/5.
If you fancy Andre Dozzell to score again he’s 6/1 to find the net at any time, 18/1 to open the scoring and 200/1 to score a hat-trick.
Anything else worth knowing?
The Blues are unbeaten in 12 against Fulham, with the last time they lost a humbling 10-1 defeat at the Cottage in 1963. The Blues bounced back to beat Fulham two days later and haven’t lost since.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here