Liverpool chases first Premier League win against a struggling Ipswich Town side desperate for points at home
The Reds arrive at Portman Road still winless after two draws, facing a rival with its own pressing need to pick up points in the fight against relegation.
Two straight draws are starting to weigh. Liverpool arrives at Portman Road still without a win this Premier League season, and while nobody is calling it a crisis at this point, the locker room knows it's time to start collecting three points. That's the assignment for Ipswich Town vs. Liverpool, a matchup with very different contexts but one possible shared outcome: the Reds' first win of the campaign.
Portman Road hosts the match this Friday, September 4, for matchday 3 of the 2026/2027 Premier League. Kickoff is set for 4:00 PM (ARG/UY) and 2:00 PM (ECU/COL/PER), with coverage available through the Disney+ Premium Plan for South America.
Why does a win matter for each side? For Liverpool, because last season the club got used to being a serious title contender, and going two matchdays without a win is starting to raise eyebrows, even if it's premature to worry. For Ipswich, the goal is far more modest: survival, and that means building a solid foundation at home, something the club already showed on opening weekend.
The names who could decide it
For Ipswich, the go to pairing remains Julio Enciso and Marcelino Núñez, the two players capable of creating individual moments of quality for a side that needs flashes of talent to compete. Out wide, Daizen Maeda and Abdul Issahaku will be tasked with stretching the field and adding depth.
On the visitors' side, the attacking lineup carries a different kind of weight. Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo and Víctor Muñoz combined for a goal and an assist to rescue a draw against Nottingham Forest, and that quartet is exactly the group Andoni Iraola is looking to develop match by match. Getting those attacking partnerships to mature in real time, rather than relying solely on individual brilliance, appears to be the Basque coach's approach.
How both teams arrive
The recent form of both sides tells different stories. Ipswich is coming off a tough 5-2 loss to Manchester United, though in its season opener the club had looked sharp in a 3-1 win over Leeds. Liverpool, meanwhile, has strung together two consecutive 2-2 draws, first against Nottingham Forest and then against Newcastle.
The most recent meeting between the two sides clearly favors the Reds. In matchday 23 of the 2024/2025 Premier League, Liverpool routed Ipswich 4-1, with goals from Dominik Szoboszlai, Mohamed Salah and a brace from Cody Gakpo. For the home side, Jacob Greaves scored a late consolation goal.
With that history in the background and each squad facing its own pressing needs, Portman Road is set for a match where Liverpool looks to snap its run of draws and Ipswich aims to keep collecting points at home to pull away from the relegation zone as soon as possible.
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