Town Face A Tough Test At Elland Road

I know that manager Mick McCarthy always talks about coming away with something and a point tomorrow at Elland Road would be a point worth having by anybody’s standards.

Surprisingly perhaps, McCarthy is even suggesting that Town will be going to Yorkshire looking for a win against Leeds United and said in his press conference, ‘ I want to get there and beat them on Saturday but for all other intents and purposes, I`d love to see them doing well but not against us!’

The Whites are top of the Championship table as things stand and the Blues are just two points adrift in 5th and with a game in hand. If they were to win tomorrow then they might even go top – depending on results elsewhere of course.

The reality however is that Town will do very well to get anything from this one and with home advantage Leeds are always a formidable force.

Defenders Pontus Jansson and Liam Cooper are set to return to the side and striker Pierre-Michel Lasogga is still awaiting the birth of his first child in Germany but he still remains in the squad – for the moment at least.

For Town the return of defender Jonas Knudsen is good news after recovering from his recent hamstring injury but sadly Flynn Downes is out with a hip problem incurred in training this week.

I do not expect our manager will tamper too greatly with the team but if he is serious about snatching all three points, then he might consider bringing in either Freddie Sears or Martyn Waghorn?

David McGoldrick is confident that he can surpass last season’s goal scoring tally of five and he is already on four in all competitions so that seems very likely.

He explained, ‘Beating last year`s tally isn`t my target – it`s way more than that! I know I should be scoring double figures.’ The best season he has had for Town was when he netted 16 goals for the Blues but that was way back in season 2013/14 and since then he has failed to make double-figures but injuries have been responsible for some of his less than dynamic scoring feats.

As far as stats go for this one, the omens do not look very good. Apart from facing the Championship leaders at their place we also have to contend with Leeds having lost only one of their last eight home league games against Ipswich Town.

Slightly better news is that The Whites have kept a clean sheet in their opening four home league matches of a season for the first time since 2001-02 and they have never kept a clean sheet in their first five – so here’s hoping that run continues.

But Leeds have had eight different scorers in the Championship this season – more than any other side so the goal threat comes from many quarters and I suspect keeper Bartosz Bialkowski will have to be at his very best to keep them out!

I think however that we would all be happy with a point tomorrow but trying to get one will be a huge ask I fear.


Frank Weston – Editor of Vital Ipswich