Manchester United vs Ipswich Prediction: A Delap double at Old Trafford

Fifteenth hosts 18th in the Premier League on Wednesday evening (19:30, TNT Sports 1) as Manchester United take on Ipswich Town at Old Trafford. The Red Devils salvaged a point at Goodison Park on Saturday, coming from two goals down at half-time to draw 2-2 with Everton, but Ruben Amorim's side are now without a win in their last three league games, last tasting success in the competition on January 26.

Town, meanwhile, haven't won any of their seven top-flight contests this calendar year and Saturday's 4-1 hammering at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur was a fifth defeat in six. Below are my Manchester United vs Ipswich predictions, complete with all the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Four Manchester United players - Altay Bayindir, Tom Heaton (both unspecified), Mason Mount (leg) and Luke Shaw (calf) - are working on their recovery from injury and aren't far away from first-team returns but Amad (ankle), Kobbie Mainoo (unspecified) and Lisandro Martinez (knee) are longer-term absentees.

Toby Collyer, who has missed his side's last four games with a knock, is close to a return according to Amorim.

Alejandro Garnacho was a standout performer off the bench on Saturday and the Argentina international will surely start against Ipswich, probably in place of the ineffectual Rasmus Hojlund who has been without a Premier League goal since October 19.

Christian Eriksen returned to the squad at the weekend but didn't make it off the bench; the Danish midfielder could be in contention to start on Wednesday, though.

Football Odds

Former Man United defender Axel Tuanzebe is available to face his old side after serving a one-match suspension at the weekend. The 27-year-old could start at right-back ahead of Atalanta loanee Ben Godfrey, who along with Jens Cajuste, was taken off at half-time against Spurs.

Cajuste and later fellow central midfielder Kalvin Phillips were substituted with ankle and calf complaints respectively; it remains to see if either will be passed fit for Wednesday's trip to Old Trafford.

Town captain Sam Morsy hasn't started since a 2-1 defeat at home to Southampton on February 1 but he is an obvious candidate to start in place of Cajuste and/or Phillips.

Julio Enciso, Wes Burns, Conor Chaplin (all knee), Chiedozie Ogbene (calf) and Christian Walton (muscle) are set to miss out through injury for the Tractor Boys.

Manchester United vs Ipswich Odds

Man United have lost five of their last six home games in the Premier League but are 1/2 favourites on Wednesday, implying a win probability of 66.7%, while Ipswich, without a victory in their last four away matches, are 11/2, or a 15.4% chance, to claim all three points at Old Trafford.

November's reverse fixture at Portman Road, which was Amorim's first league game as Red Devils boss, finished 1-1 with Marcus Rashford's second-minute opener cancelled out by Omari Hutchinson's strike two minutes before the interval. A second stalemate of the season between the two teams is priced at 7/2 and another 1-1 scoreline can be backed at 15/2.

Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee (both 7/5) head the anytime goalscorer market with Liam Delap, who has scored double (10) the number of combined Premier League goals between the two Man Utd strikers this season (five - three for Zirkzee, two for Hojlund), first up for the visitors at 2/1.

Double Chance & BTTS - Draw or Ipswich & Yes @ 13/5

In all honesty, these are two terrible teams. Over the last five league games, Ipswich (one) have picked up at least two fewer points than any other side in the division, while only the East Anglians, Leicester City and Southampton (both three) have collected fewer than Man United's paltry total of four. Going further back, across 10 games, Man United and Ipswich rank 17th and 18th respectively in the form table.

There was nothing to separate the sides in November as the match finished 1-1 at Portman Road and I don't see much changing this week.

I was tempted to back Ipswich for the win at 11/2, such is Man United's horrendous recent record at Old Trafford, but it's hard to sound too convincing about a newly-promoted team that has one just one of its last 10 Premier League matches, and none of its last seven.

Instead, the double chance on the visitors and both teams to score at 13/5 appeals here. This was a winner in November's head-to-head and Kieran McKenna's charges did take a point in their last away trip at Villa Park on February 15, taking the lead in the 56th minute with 10 men only for Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins to level up 13 minutes later.

Nevertheless, 1-1 was a creditable scoreline a man down away to a Champions League club, and that stand them in good stead heading to Old Trafford where the pressure is firmly on Amorim and his players.

It's hard to offer up many positives about Man United currently, but Bruno Fernandes, who started the fightback at Goodison on Saturday, has at least shown some quality. Mid-season signing Patrick Dorgu has also looked bright at wing-back, although it feels like only a matter of time before he's dragged down to the level of his new teammates.

All in all, I think it's worth continuing to back against the Red Devils, and the double chance result on Ipswich and BTTS - Yes has been a winner in two of their last three - three of their last five, five of their last seven - away games in the league.

Bet Builder - Liam Delap (IPS) Anytime Goalscorer & Carded @ 9/1

To make matters worse for Man United, a Manchester City Academy graduate, Delap, who made six first-team appearances for the Citizens before departing the club permanently last summer, will be looking to stick the knife in further on Wednesday.

Ipswich may be struggling this season, particularly in recent months, but the same can't be said for the 22-year-old who has scored two of his 10 Premier League goals in his side's last four games.

Delap was on target in Town's last away outing, opening the scoring at Villa Park in a 1-1 draw, and 40 per cent (four) of his top-flight strikes have come away from East Anglia.

The Englishman will have been left disappointed by his failure to get on the scoresheet against Spurs on the weekend as he shot five times, forcing two saves and hitting the post, all within the first 24 minutes.

He'll be confident of getting back in the goalscoring groove at Old Trafford where Man United conceded twice to Crystal Palace centre-forward Jean-Philippe Mateta last time out in a 2-0 defeat to the Eagles.

As well as goals, though, Delap has also forged a reputation as something of a bruiser.

Kevin Davies he may not be, but eight yellow cards and a fouls-per-game average of 2.2 points to a battering ram of a striker, certainly one not afraid of throwing his weight around.

The 9/1 on a goal and card - through Betfred's Bet Builder tab - looks tasty, then.

Who knows, it may not even be a foul that causes a card, but a last-minute winner or equaliser that sees him over celebrate in front of the Old Trafford faithful. His boss will surely forgive him for that one.

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