- Ipswich Town have a formidable home record in the Championship with 13 wins, 7 draws and only 1 defeat from 21 games played on their own patch this season.
- Middlesbrough have a strong away record with 10 wins, 6 draws and only 5 defeats from 21 away fixtures in the Championship campaign to date.
- Ipswich Town are unbeaten in their last 2 home games with 1 win and 1 draw while Middlesbrough have drawn their last 2 away games, suggesting that this is going to be a close match.
Ipswich can upset the applecart
Ipswich Town will head into Sunday’s Championship clash with Middlesbrough on the back of a 2-0 away win over bitter East Anglian rivals Norwich City and a 2-0 loss at Portsmouth last time out. Town sit 2nd in the Championship table on 75 points from 41 games and are still in contention for automatic promotion despite recent hiccups.
Kieran McKenna has instilled his possession-based, high-pressing 4-2-3-1 philosophy in the Suffolk club since joining as manager at the beginning of December 2021 and Town are now one of the toughest sides in the Championship to break down.
Their central overloads will be tested by Boro’s use of a back-three with wing-backs, in which the Teessiders attempt to overload wide areas and release pacey forwards down the flanks. The central battle and transitions are where the game will be won or lost and if either team can win them on Sunday, they will take the 3 points home.
Middlesbrough are 5th in the Championship with 72 points from 42 matches, and are hoping to still have a chance of sneaking into the top six for the play-offs when the dust settles on this 2025-2026 campaign.
Both clubs are on the up
The Teessiders have been in poor form recently with 0 wins, 3 draws and 2 defeats from their last 5 games, but their away record is still among the league’s best with 10 wins, 6 draws and only 5 losses from 21.
However, one of their draws was 2-2 at Swansea and they lost 1-0 at home to Portsmouth in their most recent fixtures.
Kim Hellberg took charge recently and he has made Boro more proactive and attack-minded while retaining the width of the wing-backs, they play with a lot more purpose and flexibility than they did under their previous boss.
Riley McGree is the flair, directness and creativity of Boro’s midfield and he often drives forward from deep to attack the box. Morgan Whittaker is their main goal threat with 11 goals in 36 Championship appearances this term and he will be a constant threat to Ipswich’s defence.
Ipswich are looking for revenge as they lost 2-1 at Boro in the Championship five months ago. One win, one draw and one defeat is the recent H2H record between these two clubs and the result on Sunday will be telling of how far each club has progressed tactically in the 2025-2026 season.
Back the hosts to get the better of the Boro
Ipswich have the better form, home record and overall quality to win this game, but Boro are a solid unit who will always make games tough for their opponents. Back Ipswich to win at 29/25 and over 2.5 goals at 4/5, and both teams to score - yes at 13/20.
Jack Clarke tops the scoring charts for Ipswich with 14 goals in 41 Championship games and he will be a threat all game. Conor Chaplin is the creative spark of the team and has the ability to unlock stubborn defences with his incisive passing. Ipswich have scored 38 goals in 21 home fixtures in the Championship and are a constant attacking threat at Portman Road, while Boro have averaged 1.62 goals per game on the road this term, scoring a total of 34.
