Match Pack: Saints vs Ipswich
Returning from Wembley, Saints are straight back in Sky Bet Championship action on Tuesday night as they continue their push for promotion against Ipswich Town. Get set for a big night with our Match Pack...
THE MATCH
Southampton vs Ipswich Town
Sky Bet Championship
St Mary's Stadium
Tuesday 28th April, 7.45pm BST
THE OFFICIALS
Referee: Thomas Kirk
Assistant Referees: Hristo Karaivanov and Jacob Graham
Fourth Official: Josh Smith
THE KITS
Back at home, Saints will be back in their traditional red and white stripes, with black shorts and white socks. The Tractor Boys will be in their home kit too, made up of blue shirts, white shorts and blue socks.
TICKETS
Tickets for Tuesday night have now sold out, with the Ticket Exchange open for Season Ticket holders unable to attend.
LIVE COVERAGE
UK subscription holders can watch live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football from 7.30pm BST. Saints Play match passes are only available in selected territories due to broadcast rights.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Still 17 games unbeaten in the Sky Bet Championship, hopes of winning automatic promotion are still alive but rely entirely on three points against Ipswich on Tuesday night.
Saints head into the encounter in fifth place, three points behind Middlesbrough in fourth and four points behind Millwall in third, while the Tractor Boys, tied on points with the Lions, sit in second.
A win would take the race for second down to the final day, with all four teams in the running, whilst a draw or defeat would condemn Tonda Eckert's side to the play-offs.
The Suffolk outfit head to the south coast knowing automatic promotion is in their own hands, and won't want to surrender that in the penultimate game of the season.
TEAM NEWS
Saints: While Flynn Downes will serve the second of a three-match ban, Ryan Manning is available having sat out Saturday's semi-final through suspension.
The Irishman's return could be timely with Welington limping off against Man City after 77 minutes, with fellow defender Jack Stephens a doubt having missed the last two games with a calf injury.
Ipswich Town: The visitors' main injury worry also comes at full-back, with Leif Davis missing the last two games with a hamstring injury and unlikely to make a return on the south coast.
THE MANAGERS
Tonda Eckert: "I think for most of the games we’ve tried to close the games very quickly on the same afternoon or the same night and try to leave the emotions around that out of the system quite quickly.
"Then you open up a new page and there’s a new game coming up and just like every other one, I have an idea of what the game might look like and then focus on the job for another 90 minutes. I don’t see this being any different than the next games."
Kieran McKenna: "We've faced some of the most in-form teams in the division over recent weeks and Southampton are very much one of those as well. It's going to be another big challenge, but we believe we'll give them a tough game.
"They had a big game at Wembley, playing maybe the best team in the world, and all the stuff that comes with that. But we had a big game ourselves too. Southampton, to be fair, are the only team with a schedule resembling ours over the last few weeks. So maybe it's one game that we cannot talk so much about freshness."
ONES TO WATCH
Caspar Jander: The German youngster put in a standout performance at Wembley against Pep Guardiola's side, completing 100% of his dribbles, putting in seven tackles and winning eight ground duels in an all-action display.
With Flynn Downes still suspended, Jander could be handed a second consecutive start with the midfield battle another important clash point in midweek.
Christian Walton: Only Coventry's Carl Rushworth has more clean sheets than Ipswich's goalkeeper, who kept his 15th of the season in last weekend's draw at West Brom.
Walton was the Tractor Boys' best performer at the Hawthorns and could be vital if Kieran McKenna's side are to inflict a first home defeat on Saints since January.
TOP SCORERS
Saints
Goals:
Azaz 11
Stewart 9
Manning, Scienza, Larin 7
Assists:
Scienza 10
Azaz, Fellows 8
Manning 6
Ipswich Town
Goals:
Clarke 15
Philogene 12
Hirst 10
Assists:
Núñez 9
Davis 5
Taylor, Furlong, Cajuste 4
FORM GUIDE
Saints
Man City (n) FAC: L 1-2 (Azaz)
Bristol City (h) SBC: D 2-2 (Larin, Stewart)
Swansea (a) SBC: W 2-1 (Charles, Archer)
Blackburn (h) SBC: W 3-0 (Larin, Manning, Archer)
Derby (h) SBC: W 2-1 (Scienza, Harwood-Bellis)
Ipswich Town
West Brom (a) SBC: D 0-0
Charlton (a) SBC: W 2-1 (Furlong, Philogene)
Middlesbrough (h) SBC: D 2-2 (McAteer, Clarke)
Portsmouth (a) SBC: L 0-2
Norwich (a) SBC: W 2-0 (Philogene, Hirst)
HEAD TO HEAD
Played: 73
Saints wins: 24
Draws: 22
Ipswich wins: 27
LAST FIVE MEETINGS
August 2025: Ipswich 1-1 Saints Championship (Robinson)
February 2025: Ipswich 1-2 Saints Premier League (Aribo, Onuachu)
September 2024: Saints 1-1 Ipswich Premier League (Dibling)
April 2024: Ipswich 3-2 Saints Championship (Adams, A Armstrong)
Septempber 2023: Saints 0-1 Ipswich Championship
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