PREVIEW | Ipswich Town vs Portsmouth - team news, lineups, predictions

Ipswich Town host Portsmouth this Saturday at the Portman Road for round seven of the EFL Championship.

Ipswich Town have won 6 points to date and are placed in 17th position. In their last match, Kieran McKenna's team prevailed 5-0 against Sheffield United (EFL Championship 2025/26).

Portsmouth have 8 points to their name this season and occupy 13th position in the table. In their last encounter, John Mousinho's team were beaten 0-2 by Sheffield Wed. (EFL Championship 2025/26).

The last meeting between the two teams ended in a 2-2 draw.

The Fan Zone

Adam Wilkin(Blue Monday): Last weekend's washout now officially didn't happen so Town can claim they're still coming into this one off the back of a win. Forget that Jacob Greaves is suspended which for some reason still counts.

It's also the start of the Tuesday night fixtures this week so there's likely to be some rotation. Marcelino Nunez is the most likely to come in for his first start for me given Jens Cajuste's fitness issues and the probable need to break down a stubborn Portsmouth defence.

Home form is going to be incredibly important and Portsmouth seem to have a large amount of injury problems coming into this one so all signs point to a bit of a winning streak at Portman Road in what could be an eventful game but hopefully for the right reasons this weekend.

Prediction: 3-2

Freddie Webb(Pompey News Now / PO4cast): Dejected Pompey players will have to pick themselves up from an embarrassing 2-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday - a storm of poor passing and bad luck.

It’s back down to earth for the Blues after a win against Preston and two valiant away draws against West Brom and Southampton.

Mounting injuries will not make a trip to Portman Road any easier. Josh Murphy is a doubt for the match, Conor Chaplin is ineligible, and Conor Shaughnessy faces another spell on the side-lines.

Even though the Tractor Boys have got off to a poor start by their standards, it will take a lot for John Mousinho’s men. Kieron McKenna’s Ipswich love to retain possession while deploying a high press without the ball.

Pompey will have to counter press and disrupt their midfield to have any chance of success, but with a weakened front three behind Colby Bishop, that lack of creativity and guile could be the stumbling block.

Prediction: 2-0

Predicted lineups

Ipswich Town: Alex Palmer, Darnell Furlong, Cedric Kipré, Dara O’Shea, Leif Davis, Marcelino Núñez, Azor Matusiwa, Kasey McAteer, Chuba Akpom, Jaden Philogene, George Hirst

Portsmouth: Ben Killip, Zak Swanson, Regan Poole, Josh Knight, Connor Ogilvie, John Swift, Andre Dozzell, Florian Bianchini, Adrian Segecic, Yang Min-Hyeok, Colby Bishop

Unavailable

Ipswich Town

• Conor Townsend - Cruciate Ligament Tear
• Jacob Greaves - Red Card Suspension

Portsmouth

• Josh Murphy - In doubt
• Conor Shaughnessy - Injury
• Conor Chaplin - Legal impediment

Last starting XIs

Ipswich Town ( vs Sheffield United 2025-09-12): Alex Palmer, Darnell Furlong, Jacob Greaves, Dara O’Shea, Leif Davis, Azor Matusiwa, Jens Cajuste, Jaden Philogene, Kasey McAteer, Chuba Akpom, George Hirst

Portsmouth ( vs Sheffield Wed. 2025-09-20): Ben Killip, Zak Swanson, Regan Poole, Conor Shaughnessy, Connor Ogilvie, Andre Dozzell, John Swift, Adrian Segecic, Conor Chaplin, Florian Bianchini, Colby Bishop