Swansea v Ipswich - Playing For Pride

With any fantasy of a playoff place crushed by Thursday’s hammering by Norwich City, Ipswich Town will be playing for pride as they travel to another of the top six contenders, Swansea City.

Lying 6 points off the playoff places following a run of four wins in five, a handful of Ipswich fans might still have been dreaming of a last-minute leap into the Championship playoff places. That was until Norwich rolled into Town a few days ago and reminded the Blues of just how far they have to go to launch a genuine challenge next season. Now 7pts away with only 9 to play for and their winning form brought to a shuddering halt, Town now go into their Easter Monday fixture playing for pride – not just pride in terms of their Championship position after a disappointing season, but also to rescue some of that which they lost in those painful 90 minutes at Portman Road on Thursday.

To do so, they’ll have to beat a Swansea City side currently sitting only three places behind Norwich. Despite being 6pts behind the Norfolk side, the Swans will not have given up hope yet of sealing automatic promotion for what would be their Premier League debut. What’s more, Brendan Rodgers’ team thumped the Canaries 3-0 only a couple of weeks ago – with the help of a certain Tamas Priskin – and could record a league double over the Blues for the first time since 1961. However, their win over Norwich was their only victory in their last five outings, and if Paul Jewell’s Blues can bounce back, a win at the Liberty Stadium would go some way to lifting the shame from their shoulders.

Vital Quotes:

Following his team’s 5-1 defeat to Norwich, Ipswich Town manager Paul Jewell is looking ahead to the summer as he plans what could well be a considerable overhaul of his squad for next season. The Blues boss revealed he had always doubted that the side he inherited from Roy Keane three months ago had the quality to match the likes of Monday’s opponents Swansea City at the top.

‘I always knew that this team did not carry a serious play-off threat and that we need improvement in certain areas,’ Jewell told the East Anglian press. ‘You never want to dampen supporters’ enthusiasm but I’ve known from day one that the remit was to stay in this division.’

‘We’ve done that and the lads deserve great credit. But if we’re going to have a serious challenge next year we’ve got to do a lot better.’

Meanwhile Jewell’s opposite number Brendan Rodgers is wary of the threat posed by Ipswich on Monday, regardless of whether the Blues are some way short of the standard of his Swansea City side.

‘They will be motivated having lost 5-1 at home to their local rivals,’ Rodgers told the Official Swansea City Website. ‘Their motivation will be high to get back to winning ways.’

‘Ipswich played on Thursday, which means they will have had three clear days to prepare for their game with us, whereas we will only get one,’ he added. ‘Ipswich have an advantage over us, there’s no question about that.’

Swansea City Team News:

Swansea City will be without on-loan Ipswich striker Tamas Priskin, who is ineligible to face the Blues under the terms of his deal. Other than that, Swans boss Brendan Rodgers has no new injury concerns, with midfielder Joe Allen and strike duo Stephen Dobbie and Luke Moore pushing for a place in the lineup. Craig Beattie, who netted two goals in City’s victory over the Blues at Portman Road in December, could also earn a recall.

Player to watch: Scott Sinclair

Having been sent here, there and everywhere on loan by his parent club Chelsea over recent years, Scott Sinclair finally seems to have found a home at Swansea. The 21-year-old, who was recently included in the PFA Championship Team of the Year for 2011, has played a major part in the Swans’ promotion push this season. An impressive tally of 22 goals from midfield in all competitions this season, including 17 in the league, has put him amongst the most prolific goalscorers in the Championship, though he hasn’t scored for the Welsh club since mid-March. Will he break his drought on Monday?

Ipswich Town Team News:

After his side were embarrassed on Thursday, Paul Jewell could shuffle his Ipswich side at Swansea. Former Swans striker Jason Scotland may not feature against his former club after another uninspiring display against Norwich, with Ronan Murray possibly in contention after the Blues were understood to have recalled the youngster from his loan spell at Torquay United. Brian Murphy could earn a rare league appearance in goal after Arran Lee-Barrett shipped five against the Canaries, though Marton Fulop will also be hoping for a recall. Meanwhile Lee Martin serves the second game of his three-match suspension for his red card at Bristol City, while Mark Kennedy is a doubt having missed several recent outings with a hamstring injury.

Player to watch: Jimmy Bullard

Few Ipswich players could be proud of their performances against Norwich on Thursday, but Jimmy Bullard was an exception. The on-loan Hull City man was the standout performer in an otherwise forgettable display for the Blues, netting an exquisite 25 yard drive to give the home fans something to smile about. That was his fifth Ipswich goal since joining from the Tigers in January, all of which have been masterpiece finishes. Perhaps his most memorable display in Town colours was on his last trip across the Welsh border against Cardiff City in March, where he netted both goals in a 2-0 win. Can he repeat the feat further along the South Wales coast at the Liberty Stadium?

Last Meeting

FLC – (16th) Ipswich 1-3 Swansea (3rd)
04 December 2010

(Click here for Match Report)

Goalscorers
Ipswich: Townsend 50
Swansea: Beattie 64, 86, Allen 70

Teams:
Ipswich: Murphy, Smith, Brown, Zuiverloon, O’Dea (O’Connor 72), Leadbitter, Edwards, Townsend (Peters 82), Colback, Scotland, Priskin

Swansea: De Vries, Williams, Taylor, Tate, Rangel, Orlandi (Pratley 75), Dyer (Dobbie 88), Sinclair, Allen, Gower, Beattie

Match Prediction:

As bad as we were against Norwich, Ipswich have improved since they last played Swansea back in December, and they probably should have beaten them at Portman Road that day were it not for a very inexperienced defence. Furthermore, the Blues have actually enjoyed one of the best away records in the division this season with 8 wins on the road; only QPR, Norwich, Cardiff and Hull have managed more.

Even so, I’d be very pleasantly surprised if we were to manage victory at the Liberty Stadium. Town’s away record does not compare to the Swans’ home record, with 13 wins and just 3 losses all season, not to mention only 10 goals conceded. Against our often toothless front line, I’d be surprised if their defence is troubled too much.

Prediction: Not as bad as Thursday’s humiliation, but still a further reminder that Jewell has his work cut out in the summer. Swansea 3-1 Ipswich.

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