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7 mins: Remember, an Arsenal defeat here opens the door for Liverpool to win the title today. It’s not looking likely so far, with the visitors dominating possession and already pinning Ipswich back.
5 mins: An Ipswich through ball has the home fans halfway out of their seats, but David Raya races out to get to the ball ahead of George Hirst.
4 mins: Odegaard already conducting things for Arsenal, trying to play in Saka on the right and then looking for Martinelli, who cuts inside but lets the ball slip past him.
2 mins: Martinelli hooks in a cross from the left, but Ipswich deal with it comfortably enough.
1 mins: Arsenal, in their red and white home kit, have spent the first 90 seconds sweeping the ball around their own half.
Here we go…
A blast of “Insomnia” over the PA, a spray of dry ice, and Ipswich players stride out in their oversized Umbro jackets. Big 90s vibes.
The Arsenal players are lined up in the tunnel, with Martin Odegaard having a nice chat with the mascot standing next to him.
“I fear for Ipswich back in the Championship, without recent experience of opening the Premier League parachute,” writes Jeremy Boyce. “In that respect, Leicester and Southampton might be better-placed to bounce back up next season.”
Arteta has made three changes from that game at the Bernabéu; both full-backs are rotated, with Zinchenko and White replacing Lewis-Skelly and Timber. Leo Trossard replaces Thomas Partey, which means Mikel Merino will likely drop into midfield.
Meanwhile, Liam Delap is still not ready to start after a rib injury, and starts on the Ipswich bench with George Hirst continuing up front.
Mikel Arteta is asked how important today’s game is after the Champions League win over Real Madrid: “Very important. Now we have to focus on the Premier League, show that we can be consistent. Some results have slipped away from us, that’s the Premier League, and it’ll be a tough match today. They make it difficult for opponents, they are organised and also have an attacking threat.”
Ipswich and Arsenal’s most famous meeting came in the 1978 FA Cup final, where Bobby Robson’s boys earned a 1-0 victory at Wembley. Roger Osborne’s winner came after Ipswich had hit the woodwork three times; a dominant upset, if you will.
Here’s Nick Ames on reasons for Ipswich to be cheerful, despite their imminent return to the Championship.
Ipswich (4-2-3-1): Palmer; Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Greaves, Davis; Morsy, Cajuste; Johnson, Enciso, Clarke; Hirst.
Subs: Walton, Woolfenden, Chaplin, Jack Taylor, Burgess, Delap, Luongo, Godfrey, Boniface.
Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Kiwior, Zinchenk; Rice, Merino, Ødegaard; Saka, Trossard, Martinelli.
Subs: Neto, Tierney, Partey, Timber, Sterling, Butler-Oyedeji, Henry-Francis, Lewis-Skelly, Nwaneri.
On a different timeline, where a handful of this season’s Premier League results were reversed, this is a massive game in both the title race and relegation battle. Sadly, in this universe, Ipswich – despite being the best of the three promoted sides this term – are 14 points from safety and doomed to a swift Championship return.
Arsenal, on the other hand, are the league’s second-best team – 13 points behind leaders Liverpool. Champions League glory is undoubtedly their focus now, rather than keeping a lukewarm title race ticking over. If they lose here, the party could start at Anfield this afternoon. In the more likely event of an Arsenal win, Ipswich will need snookers to beat the drop.
So, not the massive Easter match-up it might have been, but still potentially a very significant fixture between two teams who’ve kept us entertained this term. We’ll also keep you updated on Fulham v Chelsea, and Man Utd v Wolves. Join me…
