Bromley vs Ipswich Predictions: Can home defence hold out?

We’ve got a key Carabao Cup fixture coming our way on Tuesday night as Bromley host Ipswich Town at Hayes Lane Stadium (20:00, Sky Sports Football). 

The League 2 outfit will look to claim a scalp agains the Tractor Boys, who were in the Premier League last season and are the favourites to make an instant return to the top flight. Read on for my Bromley vs Ipswich predictions, featuring team news and match odds. 

Team News

Andy Woodman will be delighted with the start his squad have made to the new season, as they have racked up four points in their opening two matches. The focus once again is on a sturdy defence, with two clean sheets from those two fixtures. 

With a small squad, it will be interesting to see how many changes he makes for this cup tie, with all eyes on League 2’s top goalscorer last term, Michael Cheek. Everything goes through him at Bromley so we can expect him to start against Championship opposition, while he could be supported by any two of Marcus Dinanga Nyamabu, Corey Whitely or Will Hondermarck.

Sam Long should get his chance in goal behind the back three, while Brentford loanee Ben Krauhaus may be handed his first start for the club.

Football Odds

Today's Football Fixtures

Kieran McKenna should lean on his strong squad for this one with Christian Walton set to play in goal. New arrival Chuba Akpom could get some minutes at some point, along with the returning Jens Cajuste, who comes back for a second loan spell from Napoli.

Cedric Kipre and Luke Woolfenden should start in defence along with Ashley Young, while we can also expect Cameron Burgess to get some minutes. Conor Chaplin could start as the number 10, while Ali Al-Hamadi may lead the line ahead of George Hirst. Omari Hutchinson is linked with a move away and reportedly missed the Birmingham City draw with a ‘sore throat’ so it will be interesting to see whether he is included for this one.

Bromley vs Ipswich Odds

Bromley are the underdogs for this clash, priced at 13/2 to win in 90 minutes and 11/2 to win the tie. Ipswich are 4/11 to qualify and 2/5 to win in 90 minutes given the strength of their squad, while a draw can be backed at 4/1.

Over 2.5 goals is up at 8/15, BTTS is 8/11 and Sammie Szmodics and Hirst are both 9/2 to score first. 

Under 2.5 goals @ 6/4 

Now, I know what many people are expecting here is a massive Ipswich win against a side that were three divisions below them just a few months ago, but I’m not sure that will be the case. The Tractor Boys are my pick to win the Championship this season, but all their focus will be on the league and the Carabao Cup will be treated like a pre-season game in my opinion. 

As a result, we will see massive rotation from McKenna, so the second-tier outfit may not be as cohesive at this stage of the season as some would expect. Meanwhile, Bromley haven’t conceded a goal yet this campaign and I’m backing their back three to try and keep things tight.

I think they will probably lose this game, but there’s no value in backing an Ipswich win, so let’s instead go for under 2.5 goals, which has been in a winner every league game so far this season across both teams (3/3).

HT/FT - Draw/Ipswich Town @ 16/5

Let’s back Bromley to hold Ipswich level until half-time. I really like the work that Woodman has done and the progress the club has made in recent years - as they coped with the step up from the National League with ease. I don’t envisage too many changes in that defence and although they will be under pressure, I think they can hold out until half-time. 

After the break, if Ipswich are struggling to break them down, they are likely to bring on the big guns and it could all prove too much for the League 2 outfit. But this is a big price for a HT/FT shout. 

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