Ipswich Town vs AFC Bournemouth Prediction: Extra rest could energise Tractor Boys

After back-to-back 1-0 defeats away to Nottingham Forest and at home to Crystal Palace, Ipswich Town will be desperate at least to avoid defeat on Sunday afternoon (14:00) when they host AFC Bournemouth, who followed up last Saturday's 4-2 win at Wolves with a 1-0 home win over Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday, at Portman Road.

Below is my Ipswich Town vs AFC Bournemouth prediction, complete with all the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Ipswich Town will monitor Ben Johnson, Kalvin Phillips, and Jens Cajuste's fitness ahead of Sunday, but Axel Tuanzebe, Chiedozie Ogbene and George Hirst are definitely ruled out of their meeting with the Cherries.

Sammie Szmodics was dropped down to the bench against Palace in midweek but could earn a recall to Kieran McKenna's starting XI this weekend.

Football Odds

AFC Bournemouth have been afforded two fewer days of rest than their next opponents, which could force head coach Andoni Iraola to shuffle his pack.

Max Aarons, Lewis Cook and David Brooks are among those who could earn starts at Portman Road.

Ipswich Town vs AFC Bournemouth Odds

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main Ipswich Town vs AFC Bournemouth page on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices on this match.

Ipswich are 13/5 to win for the first time at home this season, giving the Tractor Boys an implied probability of 27.8%, while Bournemouth are 1/1, or a 50% chance, to record a third straight success.

The draw is priced at 11/4, both teams to score at 4/7, and over 2.5 total goals at 4/6.

Cherries Evanilson (8/5) and Antoine Semenyo (9/5) head the anytime goalscorer market with Liam Delap (11/5) first up for Town.

Bet Builder - Jacob Greaves (IPS) 1+ Shots, Dean Huijsen (BOU) 1+ Shots, Liam Delap (IPS) 2+ Fouls @ 13/2

Ipswich defender Jacob Greaves missed nearly two months of action before returning to the side in Tuesday's defeat to Palace, and he nearly made himself a hero on his comeback game as he hit the post with a header in the 86th minute.

That was the 24-year-old's eighth Premier League appearance this season and he has had at least one shot in five of them including his previous two and three of his last four. He's yet to get off the mark in the competition but is averaging 0.8 shots per game and is proving a nuisance at set-pieces for the Tractor Boys, so he looks like a viable candidate to muster at least one effort on Sunday.

On the other side at Portman Road is likely to be 19-year-old centre-back Dean Huijsen, who has found starting opportunities limited since joining from Juventus in the summer. The Spaniard has made just three league starts this season but one of those came on Thursday against Spurs and he certainly took his chance.

Huijsen scored the only goal of the game in the 17th minute, popping up at the back post to nod the ball across Fraser Forster and into the Spurs net.

Remarkably, despite less than half (three) of his eight Premier League appearances coming from the start, he is averaging 0.6 shots per game. He saw a header go high of Liverpool's goal in Bournemouth's 3-0 defeat at Anfield on September 21 while substitute appearances at Brentford and at home to Brighton have seen him shoot once and twice, respectively.

Huijsen scored twice in 14 Serie A outings for AS Romas last season and one of them wasn't even from a corner, but instead through his superb ball-carrying abilities that saw him drive upfield before unleashing from distance.

He looks to have it all and certainly, a shot looks achievable on Sunday against a vulnerable Town defence.

The third and final leg of this Bet Builder is two fouls for Ipswich striker Delap who has been putting himself about since returning to the Premier League in August.

Delap is averaging 2.3 fouls per game and has committed at least two fouls in a single match on eight occasions this term, including in four of his last five appearances.

The 21-year-old fouled an opponent four times on Tuesday and will look to make himself a nuisance again on Sunday.

Correct Score - Draw 1-1 @ 13/2

Bournemouth are rightfully favourites for all three points on Sunday given their form as a whole this season and how comfortably they have dispatched Wolves and Spurs in the last couple of games.

However, I'm wondering if Sunday is a step too far given they were only in action on Thursday night and won't have nearly as much time as Ipswich to prepare for this fixture at Portman Road.

The Tractor Boys have won just once all season and that was away to Spurs (1-2) on November 10 but they have drawn six times, with four of their stalemates coming at home and three finishing in a 1-1 scoreline. McKenna's side also drew 1-1 away at Southampton meaning 1-1 has been a correct score in 28.6 per cent of their 14 league games this season and is officially their most common scoreline.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, have drawn 1-1 on three occasions and two of them - at Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa - came away from Vitality Stadium.

The Cherries have enjoyed a fantastic start to the current campaign but aren't quite as impressive on their travels as they are at home, picking up five fewer points.

A draw wouldn't be a bad result for the visitors considering the schedule, while it may also provide some relief for Town following back-to-back defeats.

Offers

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