Ipswich Town vs Chelsea

Portman Road sets the stage for the first Premier League meeting between Ipswich Town and Chelsea since 2002. 

Ipswich Town gave title-bidding Arsenal a run for their money but eventually slumped to a 1-0 defeat on Boxing Day, making it five losses from their last six Premier League outings (W1). As a result, they’ll inevitably end the calendar year in the bottom three, with 17th-placed Wolverhampton four points away. Manager Kieran McKenna can’t be proud of his team’s recent attacking performances, with Ipswich failing to get on the scoresheet in four of their last six league matches. That’s been a recurring theme for the Tractor Boys this term, as only Everton (15) and Southampton (12) have netted fewer EPL goals than Ipswich’s 16. Only six of those 16 goals came at Portman Road, where they’ve yet to win a league game in 2024/25 (D4, L5), casting further doubt on their hopes of upsetting the odds.

Meanwhile, Chelsea’s title pursuit took a substantial blow on Boxing Day as Fulham stunned Stamford Bridge 2-1 despite trailing beyond the 80th minute. Enzo Mareca’s men can’t afford another slip-up after falling ten points off table-topping Liverpool. However, they can draw confidence from going unbeaten in their final Premier League fixture of a calendar year since losing to Aston Villa in 2011 (W8, D4). Moreover, the visitors have fared impressively on the road this season, avoiding defeat on 11 of their last 12 road trips in all competitions (W8, D3). Portman Road has been a happy hunting ground for the Blues, as evidenced by their promising run of just one defeat from their nine previous visits to this venue (W4, D4).