- Ipswich U21 are playing their best football of the season and are firmly established near the top of PL2 Division One.
- Birmingham U21 are mired in the bottom third of PL2 Division One and have been unable to establish a winning rhythm.
- Ipswich are the clear form team in PL2, but Birmingham have more to gain from this game in terms of survival.
Ipswich in pole position for top-five finish
A classic Premier League 2 clash of styles is set to be played out on Friday when Aaron Jackson’s pragmatic Birmingham U21 side face off against the possession-based philosophy of John McGreal’s Ipswich.
The Tractor Boys have been playing to a formula that they have become familiar with over the past 12 months, patient in build-up, high on possession, positive in attack and very structured in the way they press the ball and trigger press, which leads to some wonderful episodes of football where they dominate the tempo and territory.
Dan Isichei and Will Sullivan are Birmingham’s best players and the two most likely to provide their team with forward momentum in the attacking third - which they don’t do often enough. They are capable of putting teams under pressure in the right circumstances, but tend to be a little too reactive and it takes a lot for them to establish any kind of momentum.
McGreal has created an identity for his Ipswich side that is easy to understand and they play with an attacking philosophy. Tom Taylor is the player that makes things happen in the hole, where he plays with the ball as often as he plays without it. James Mauge is the striker who can run in behind and score, as well as be the focal point of some very pretty passing moves in the build-up.
Birmingham are much too inconsistent to beat the form team
Birmingham City’s U21 team are the underdogs at 249/100 here, with Ipswich available at 19/25, so it’s clear the bookies think the visitors have their number and will walk off with three points in this one. The Blues are priced at 7/2 to get the draw, and there is no doubting their need for the points.
This game will be scrutinised by scouts for signs of players that can make the step up to senior level and it will be interesting to see if Jackson makes any changes to the squad that will be available. McGreal rarely changes his line-ups and it looks like he has found the right formula for a side that could be challenging for promotion next season.
Ipswich are much the better side in terms of current form, league standing and the fact that they have more to play for in this match. There isn’t a great deal of history between these two clubs at this level; their seven meetings since 2015 have been limited and balanced, with neither side enjoying a prolonged unbeaten run. We don’t expect that to change here as the Tractor Boys appear to be a cut above the rest this season, although Birmingham’s need for points is great enough for them to turn this tie around and shock the odds.
