Manchester City vs Ipswich Town Prediction: Bets, Context, and Lineups
Best Bets for Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
- Manchester City -2.5 with odds of @1.82 on 1xBet, equating to a 54.5% implied probability.
- Erling Haaland to open the scoring with odds of @3.05 on 1xBet, equating to a 3.9% implied probability.
- Over 3.5 total cards with odds of @1.81 on 1xBet, equating to a 48.8% implied probability.
We predict Manchester City will beat Ipswich by a score of 3-0.
Our Analysis: Form of Both Teams
Manchester City welcome Ipswich Town to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Pep Guardiola’s superclub have been the preeminent force in English football for the last half-decade, and take on an Ipswich team which was in League One as recently as 2022-23.
It has been a quiet summer transfer window by Manchester City’s standards, with Savinho being the most notable addition. Ilkay Gundogan is reportedly set to return to the Etihad, too, but the German is unlikely to be available for this one.
City started their season with a routine 2-0 win away to Chelsea, with Erling Haaland once again among the goals. They are the betting favourites to win the 2024-25 Premier League title and have an almost clean bill of health for their second match of the new season.
After finishing as runners-up in League One two seasons ago, Ipswich stormed through the Championship, securing promotion at the first time of asking. It’s been a busy summer, including the signing of Liam Delap from Manchester City.
The early-season schedule has been brutal for Kieran McKenna’s team. They lost 2-0 at home to Liverpool last weekend, and are now the weekend’s biggest underdogs for this trip to Manchester. As highly regarded as McKenna is, it would be one of the Premier League’s greatest shocks if they got a result on Saturday.
Probable Lineups for Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
Manchester City probable XI:
Ederson; Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Lewis, Kovacic; Doku, Silva, De Bruyne, Savinho; Haaland.
Ipswich Town probable XI:
Walton; Tuanzebe, Woolfenden, Greaves, Davis; Morsy, Luongo; Burns, Chaplin, Hutchinson; Delap.
City Cover Handicap
After losing by two goals at home to Liverpool last weekend, we can’t see Ipswich covering the 2.5 handicap at the Etihad Stadium. Manchester City won three of their final four home league matches in 2023-24 by three or more goals.
Pep Guardiola’s team scored 51 goals at home, while conceding just 16. Routs have been common at the Etihad in the Guardiola era, and it will take some good fortune for Ipswich to avoid a hammering in the north west.
The way City outplayed Chelsea is an ominous sign for the rest of the Premier League. It will take time for Ipswich to adapt to the step up, even with the exciting signings they have made over the summer. This could be a painful first away day for the Tractor Boys.
- Manchester City vs Ipswich Town Bet 1: Manchester City -2.5 @1.82 with 1xBet
Haaland Begins The Rout
Coming off consecutive Premier League Golden Boot awards, Erling Haaland opened the scoring at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Haaland, who played through some injuries last season, had the summer to rest and recover.
With Julian Alvarez sold to Atletico Madrid, City’s dependence on Haaland is greater than before. Guardiola set his team up with four creative players behind the Norwegian on Sunday – the attack is funnelled towards setting Haaland up, and that approach will continue on Saturday.
Haaland is 1.33 to score anytime. He scored the first goal of the match in nine of his 31 Premier League appearances last season. The 2.95 offering to score the first goal of this match seems like excellent value.
- Manchester City vs Ipswich Town Bet 2: Erling Haaland to score the first goal @3.05 with 1xBet
Four Or More Cards Worth Backing
Michael Salisbury, who has been appointed referee for this match, averaged 4.07 cards per Premier League match last season. Ipswich had three yellow cards against Liverpool last weekend.
While Salisbury is only middling in the number of cards per game, he was third in fouls awarded per game (of referees to take charge of more than two Premier League matches). With City destined to dominate possession on Saturday, Ipswich will be forced to make challenges – Salisbury has shown he is unafraid to blow his whistle.
Jeremy Doku and Savinho are going to draw plenty of tackles. Salisbury might have little choice but to go to his notebook if too many Ipswich players accumulate fouls. Add in a City card for stopping a counter, and we should get to four cards easily.
- Manchester City vs Ipswich Town Bet 3: Over 3.5 total cards @1.81 with 1xBet