Game Week 22 Predictions: Manchester City to beat Ipswich

Manchester City faces Ipswich at Portman Road. Can the champions bounce back after recent setbacks? Full match preview and prediction!

Manchester City's Erling Haaland scored a hattrick in the first leg of this fixture, will he do it again at Portman Road? (Photo credit: Sporting News)

 Ipswich vs Manchester City.

Portman Road

5:30 pm

Manchester City’s healing process suffered a huge dent in midweek as they lost their lead to Brentford to settle for a 2-2 draw. Will they ever overcome this setback?

Ipswich Town suffered another defeat against Brighton in midweek, leaving them in the bottom three alongside Leicester and Southampton; it looks like for the second season running, the three newly promoted sides will go down swiftly. Interesting.

The champions could gatecrash the top four with a win in this game, but it must be a comprehensive one after Newcastle United got decimated at home by Bournemouth on Saturday; not a lot of people saw that coming at St. James’s Park.

Imagine going through this crisis and then still being able to fight for the title; this would be Pep Guardiola’s biggest success ever if he’s able to pull it off, but he has Liverpool to fight off. Considering how inconsistent Arsenal has been, they failed to see off Aston Villa at the Emirates on Saturday.

Ipswich may not be the most formidable opponent, but they pose a significant threat that the champions need to be cautious of. On Friday, news surfaced about Pep Guardiola's divorce proceedings; could this be the reason he's been struggling to deliver?

Kieran McKenna, arguably the most composed individual in Premier League football, must accelerate his team's progress to prevent relegation. They play good football, but they lack quality in important areas; when Liam Delap isn't scoring, they aren't scoring, which is a problem in itself.

How will they line up? The Tractor Boys will do it the way they know how to: five-man defence, four in midfield, and Delap upfront. But what happens when they concede the first goal? Do they stick to the plan or go in search of a leveller?

Oscar Bobb and Ruben Dias are both back in training, and the champions also completed deals for two attackers in the current window, but it’s yet to be seen if either of the two will feature for them in this fixture, as it might come too soon for them.

Savinho and Jeremy Doku are starting to gel, and Kevin De Bruyne consistently creates opportunities. Phil Foden needs to step up more; he’s back among the goals, and he needs to stay consistent. Manchester City needs him; however, can they also stop conceding?

Verdict: Manchester City is to win.