Ipswich Town

Ipswich Town's quest for automatic promotion took a hit after Tuesday's shock 2-0 defeat at Portsmouth which meant the race for second place is back on.

The Tractor Boys currently occupy the second spot now only two points ahead of Millwall and three in front of both Southampton and Sunday's opponents (12:00 BST) Middlesbrough.

Pompey were also the side to deal a blow to Boro's top two hopes after Kim Hellberg's side fell to a 1-0 home defeat last Saturday, but Ipswich's defeat at Fratton Park leaves the door ajar.

With Boro picking up just one win in their past six games, three points at Portman Road could go a long way in securing a play-off place.

• Ipswich have won just one of their last 10 league games against Middlesbrough (D3 L6), a 2-0 away win in December 2023.

• Middlesbrough are unbeaten in their last four away league games against Ipswich (W2 D2), having been winless in their previous nine visits to Portman Road (D4 L5).

• Ipswich have lost the fewest home matches in the Championship this season (1/21), and are unbeaten in their last 15 home league games (W10 D5).

• Since the start of March, Middlesbrough have only scored 11 goals from 19 xG in the Championship – this is the biggest underperformance of any side in this period (-8). They failed to score in the defeat to Portsmouth last time out, despite having 20 shots and hitting the target eight times.

• Riley McGree has been directly involved in eight league goals for Middlesbrough this season (5 goals, 3 assists), and could equal both his most goals (6) and goal involvements (9) in a single Championship campaign (both from 2022-23).

Earlier we asked what you thought of Ipswich Town's chances of automatic promotion from the Championship after Tuesday's shock defeat at Portsmouth, with big games to come against Middlesbrough and red-hot Southampton, who are in the thick of the fight to finish in the top-two.

Here are some of your responses:

Paul: We need 10 points from five games. No reason to panic. We'll beat Boro on Sunday - it's the away form that could be our downfall. Too many times we've failed to match the work rate and intensity of our opponents on our travels.

Andrew: It's in our own hands. Do the team think it's worth fighting for? On last night's performance the answer is no!

Daniel: I'd say we're still favourites. Boro look unlikely to turn around their woeful form, and if we can beat them, then we'll be in a great position. Southampton are a great side, but realistically, they'd need to go 16 games unbeaten, 10 straight wins, to feasibly have a chance to beat us to it. And if they do that, then honestly, there's not much we can do but respect it, and prep for the play-offs. Either way, five games to go, onwards and upwards!

Steve: Ipswich have needed a proven striker all season! I cannot understand why they have not pushed to sign one! To be honest, Ipswich have been very lucky to be where they are at the moment. They have been so unconvincing all season. And struggling to dominate teams all season! The Portsmouth result was a disaster, a win there and on Sunday against Middlesbrough would have set us up perfectly and they could have afforded to lose at Southampton at the end of the month! I think Southampton at the moment would destroy Ipswich!

Martin: I still feel Ipswich will very much finish in top two.

Bobby: No plan B when subs are made, there's no change to the way we play, too predictable, when teams get in our faces we crumble (Wrexham). A very different team to the one that got promoted. Southampton to get automatic promotion!

Alan: We've not hit any sort of consistency of performance all season. Results have been more ground out this time round rather than fluent and fast football, apart from games where we've done it for a half only. The squad is exceptional, we should really be level if not above Coventry. I think we've enough in the tank left to sneak 2nd spot still, but Southampton are now the real threat. Can't see us getting anything at St Mary's, so it has to be wins elsewhere, we are capable and should do that.

Simon: In our present position we need 11 points from 5 games with games against two other promotion candidates amongst the fixtures. We are in the box seat! We have the manager and players to achieve automatic promotion. Focus on one game at a time. We probably won't win every game and nor will the other teams. Believe.

Matt: We are still the pole sitters. After a big emotional game (at Norwich) on Saturday, the trip to Portsmouth was always going to be a banana skin. A loss last night might just have done the lads a world of good.

David: Squeaky bum time, must start playing our strongest team at all times, not keep changing it.

Rob: Ipswich are only in the top two due to teams such as Boro and Millwall faltering. The form has been anything but promotion worthy. Now Southampton are showing what a promotion worthy team should play like, and I can't see anyone stopping them, including us. It's not really clicked and too much squad rotation has left us needing more to get over the line. The lack of quality shown against some lower opposition despite the funding is a real concern.

Fergal: Southampton to finish second. Ipswich to win play-off final. We lost out on automatic promotion by not having a quality front man all season.

What a few days it's been for the Tractor Boys.

Derby delight at Carrow Road and returning to the automatic promotion places as Millwall and Middlesbrough faltered on Saturday afternoon.

Then going on to lose one of Town's two games in hand at Portsmouth on Tuesday night to not only miss the chance to narrow the gap on leaders Coventry in the title race, but also leave the door ajar for the Lions, Boro, and fast-finishing Southampton, now all three points behind.

With games against Middlesbrough to come on Sunday (12:00 BST) and a trip to Southampton looming on 28 April, things are definitely getting interesting.

So, Town fans, are you still feeling confident? What do you think you need from the final five games to ensure an immediate return to the top flight?

Click here to have your say.

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Ipswich Town goalkeeper Christian Walton insisted there was no hangover from last weekend's East Anglia derby win against Norwich following Tuesday evening's 2-0 defeat at Portsmouth.

Despite the result, Town remain second in the Championship, two points clear of Millwall in third and with a game in hand on their automatic promotion rivals.

"On the night there wasn't much in the game - I don't think they carved us open," Walton told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"Coming out on top in all the duels, the second balls, winning first contacts from their goal-kicks, it's just the small details in games that make a massive difference and we probably came up short on those.

"Everyone enjoyed Saturday and that was a really good team performance - we wanted to replicate that tonight and we didn't.

"It's naive to think we're going to win every game to the end of the season and play amazing, with perfect performances. There's always going to be bumps in the road but we're looking forward to Sunday now."

Ipswich are at home to fifth-placed Middlesbrough at Portman Road next, but then have to travel for three successive games, the last of them at Southampton - who are currently fourth - on 28 April.

"They're all big games. In terms of our performance, we need to go into it [on Sunday] with the character and belief that we have in all the games," said Walton.

Ipswich Town head coach Kieran McKenna said that his side "did not quite hit the levels" required in their 2-0 defeat to Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

The Tractor Boys started the game well but ended up conceding twice just before the break and failed to find the target in the second half.

Despite defeat they remain in the automatic promotion places, 10 points behind leaders Coventry City, but now two points ahead of Millwall and three in front of both Southampton, who beat Blackburn 3-0, and Middlesbrough.

Ipswich still have a game in hand and play both Boro and Saints before the end of the season.

"We spoke after the Norwich game that that wasn't the pinnacle, especially when we're playing teams with massive motivations of their own," McKenna said.

"Every game is going to be harder and it's gong to take a monumental effort to get the three points - we didn't quite hit the levels tonight but we have games ahead to look forward to, to do it.

"Any game you lose you're disappointed and at this stage of the season you're disappointed, so it's too easy to link it to Saturday because whatever happened on Saturday this was going to be a tough game."

Image source, Opta

Portsmouth got back to winning ways last time out with an impressive 1-0 victory at promotion-chasing Middlesbrough.

A victory over another promotion hopeful in Ipswich on Tuesday (20:00 BST) would put four points of daylight between them and Oxford United in 22nd.

At the top end of the table, Ipswich Town will look to extend their unbeaten run to 10 games, having not lost since a 5-3 defeat by Wrexham in February.

A win would put the Tractor Boys five points clear of third-placed Millwall with a game in hand.

• Portsmouth are winless in each of their last five league games against Ipswich Town (D2 L3), since a 2-1 home win in League One in March 2021.

• Ipswich won 2-1 at Portman Road in the reverse fixture with Portsmouth in September this season and could now complete a league double over Pompey for the first time since 2011-12 under Paul Jewell.

• Portsmouth are winless in each of their last nine midweek Championship games (D3 L6), since beating Cardiff City 2-1 in February 2025. Pompey have failed to score in four of their last five midweek games.

• Ipswich Town have won only one of their last six Championship away games (D2 L3) and could lose back-to-back league matches on the road outside of the Premier League for the first time since December 2021 in League One.

• Portsmouth's Colby Bishop has scored more goals in the Football League against Ipswich Town than any other opponent (six goals – three for Accrington Stanley, three for Pompey).

Image source, BBC Sport

Ipswich Town had to replace substitute Marcelino Nunez to protect their 2-0 East Anglian derby win at Norwich City, according to boss Kieran McKenna.

The midfielder made his first return to Carrow Road since leaving the Canaries to join Ipswich in August 2025 and was given a hostile reception by the home fans.

Nunez was introduced as a 61st-minute replacement but after being shown a yellow card was substituted with six minutes remaining.

"It was a difficult scenario for him, we protected it a little at the start but he's such an important player for us so when he came on the opponents were going to be wiring into him and trying to affect him physically and mentally," said McKenna

"The crowd were also going to try to get him sent off if he made challenges but would it have been such a big thing in a different game? I don't think it would have been."

With Norwich supporters howling for free kicks every time Nunez made a tackle he was hauled off and replaced by Dan Neil with McKenna keen to help not just the player but also his team.

"I thought the referee stayed strong but we couldn't give him any more decisons to make so we had to protect Marcelino and the group from that which is why we made the change," he added.

Ipswich moved back into second place in the Championship table with the win and visit Portsmouth on Tuesday (20:00 BST).

Image source, Getty Images

The EFL has announced the fixtures for the 2026-27 season will be published at midday on Thursday, 25 June.

The first-round draws for the Carabao Cup and the Vertu Trophy will be made on the same day.

The new season will kick off on the weekend of August 7-9 with the first round of the Carabao Cup, and the opening fixtures in the Championship, League One and League Two will follow a week later on 14-16 August.

The first round of the Vertu Trophy will be played in the week commencing 21 September.

Image source, Getty Images

Ipswich Town will make decisions on Friday on the fitness of midfielder Azor Matusiwa and forward Ivan Azon as they prepare for Saturday's East Anglian derby at Norwich City (12:30 BST).

Matusiwa, 27, went off injured in the first half of Monday's 2-1 Championship win over Birmingham City while 23-year-old Azon missed that game.

Forward Wes Burns remains sidelined with a calf muscle injury sustained against Sheffield Wednesday last month but defender Leif Davis returns from a three-match suspension for violent conduct against Leicester at the start of March.

"He's been training of course and played some minutes over the international break so he'll be in the squad," Ipswich head coach Kieran McKenna told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"We've got decisions to make and of course he's pleased to be back involved. It's been frustrating for him and for us as well and we know the quality that he has and what he can bring to the team.

"It's great to have him back involved and with the number of games we've got, we're going to need all hands on deck and Leif's an important player for us."

Ipswich are currently second in the Championship table and are hoping to seal a first league double over Norwich since 1993 having won the reverse fixture 3-1 at Portman Road in October.

Listen to Ipswich Town interviews and content on BBC Sounds.

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What a game in store on Saturday lunchtime (12:30 BST) as Ipswich head to Norwich for one of the biggest East Anglian Derbies in recent memory.

The Tractor Boys are unbeaten in eight games, earning 18 points, which took them into the automatic promotion places on goal difference, with games in hand on the sides around them, ahead of Millwall's Friday night game at West Brom.

The Lions were beaten 2-1 at home by Norwich on Monday, which left the Canaries on the fringe of the play-off race in ninth, though Southampton's thumping win at Wrexham on Tuesday night left Philippe Clement's men effectively nine points adrift of the top six with five games to play.

Kieran McKenna's side enjoyed a 3-1 win in the reverse fixture at Portman Road in early October and another at Carrow Road would not only be their first in more than 20 years and ensure local bragging rights, it would likely end their rivals' promotion hopes and give their own chances a massive boost.

• Norwich are unbeaten in their past nine home league games against Ipswich (W5 D4), since a 2-1 loss in February 2006.

• Following their 3-1 win in October, Ipswich are looking to complete the league double over Norwich for the first time since 1992-93.

• Since the turn of the year, Norwich City have won the most points of any Championship side (37), winning two more games (12) in that time than any other team. At the end of 2025, the Canaries were 23rd in the Championship, with only Sheffield Wednesday losing more games (14) than they had (13).

• Ipswich Town have had the most shots following a high turnover in the Championship this season (59), and have scored the most goals after a high turnover (11).

• In his first 25 Championship appearances this season, Norwich's Pelle Mattsson had 22 shots without finding the net. In his last three, he's had six attempts and scored a goal in all three games.

Marc Webber
BBC Final Score reporter

Image source, Shutterstock

With second in the form table hosting second in the actual table, this weekend's East Anglian derby is lining up to be one of the most important fixtures of its time.

Ipswich will take heart that they regained the derby crown earlier in the season, but fans and players will know 'them up the road' are having a resurgence since that 3-1 win at Portman Road one sunny Sunday afternoon in October.

And that is why nerves and emotions will be the decider of Saturday's game at Carrow Road.

Passion will either drive both sides to go all out in a potential thriller of a game.

Or nerves will make both sides play a cautious, dull game - with players being afraid of making the one mistake that could make them the headlines for the wrong reason.

The thing is, both sides realistically need a win. Norwich to keep a play-off place hope alive, Ipswich to put some distance between second and third place.

That's why it is hard to see this derby being anything short of a gung-ho thriller.

Image source, Getty Images

Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna felt his side deserved to beat Birmingham City 2-1 at Portman Road, even though Blues had an equaliser controversially disallowed.

The officials wrongly ruled the ball crossed the by-line before it went in off Dara O'Shea, but McKenna preferred to focus on Ipswich's attacking play.

He told BBC Radio Suffolk: "I think first half, we deserved to be ahead for sure. I thought we were outstanding and we were good value to get a couple of goals.

"The half-time whistle came at the wrong time because we looked like we were going to score on every attack.

"The second half was really difficult and you have to give Birmingham credit for that. They're in a position where they had a swing at it. They've got some good players on the bench and brought on good forwards to throw everything at us.

"We had to try and be resilient and manage the game well, and we mostly did that."

McKenna said he wouldn't give Birmingham's controversial disallowed goal a "second thought".

He said: "I don't know whether the ball was in or out. I've not seen it back. In the Championship, you're flipping a coin on those because you don't know, the referees don't have the angles, the linesmen don't have the angles. But I'm not going to give that one a second thought."