Arsenal vs Ipswich Town Prediction: Gunners look too strong for Tractor Boys

Arsenal welcome Ipswich Town to the Emirates on Friday night (20:15, live on Prime Video) to round off a set of festive fixtures.

The Gunners enjoyed a 5-1 win over Crystal Palace last time out, while the Tractor Boys were thumped 4-0 by Newcastle United. Read on for my Arsenal vs Ipswich Town prediction, as well as the latest team news and match odds.

Football Odds

Team News

Bukayo Saka is the notable absentee for the hosts, after the England international sustained a hamstring injury in the victory over Palace, one that Mikel Arteta has revealed will keep him out for 'many weeks'.

Raheem Sterling remains sidelined with a knee injury, as do Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu, however, Oleksandr Zinchenko might make his comeback from a muscle issue.

As for the visitors, Sam Morsy will serve a one-match ban after accumulating five yellow cards, while Chiedozie Ogbene, Janoi Donacien, George Hirst and Axel Tuanzebe remain out.

Arsenal vs Ipswich Town Odds

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The Gunners are overwhelming 1/7 favourites, giving them an implied win probability of 87.5%, while the draw is 8/1 and the Ipswich win can be backed at 20/1.

Gabriel Jesus leads the anytime goalscorer market at 9/10, while Liam Delap is the shortest-priced for the visitors at 4/1.

Arsenal -2 @ 1/1

Only Southampton have allowed more than Ipswich's 35.6 expected goals against (xGA) so far this season, which doesn't bode well for the Tractor Boys heading into this game.

Losing Saka is an enormous blow for Arteta, but Arsenal supporters will have been encouraged by their side scoring three times after he limped off in the early stages of their 5-1 win at Palace.

With the Gunners being as short as 1/7 to win, backing them on the handicap market feels a sensible way to back the Arsenal win, but still at a decent price.

Arteta's side have scored five or more goals on seven occasions in the Premier League in 2024 – the most by a top-flight team since 1960.

The Gunners also have an excellent recent record against newly-promoted teams at home - they're currently on a 12-match winning streak and unbeaten in 41 matches against said sides.

Bet Builder - Both teams to score - no & Gabriel Jesus to have 2+ shots on target @ 5/6

As mentioned above, I'm expecting a big win for Arsenal, and I also think that the Gunners will keep a clean sheet here.

Arsenal have the best defensive record in the league, having conceded just 16 goals – the same number as Liverpool but having played an additional game. They recently limited both Fulham and Everton to under 0.15 xG, and Ipswich are the third-lowest scorers in the Premier League, having scored just 16 goals in 17 games.

The second part of this bet builder is backing Gabriel Jesus to have 2+ shots on target. The Brazilian arrives in this fixture on a run of great form which has seen him bag five goals in his last two games.

Jesus has registered at least two shots on targets in each of his last three starts, accumulating 11 shots on goal over this period. With Ipswich averaging 5.46 shots on target conceded per game, the Arsenal striker should get plenty of opportunities to test the keeper on Friday.

Offers

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Acca Flex: Place a pre-match 5+ leg Football accumulator and get a CASH bonus up to 100% if all of your selections win or your money back as CASH if one leg lets you down.

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