Liverpool have won each of their last five meetings with Ipswich Town, dating back to 2001. The Reds are also unbeaten in seven trips to Portman Road, most-recently defeated in Suffolk in 1986.
Well, following a mixed start to the campaign, Andoni Iraola cannot afford a slip up in this Friday night encounter. Ahead of Liverpool's trip to Ipswich, check out our TV info, preview, predictions, teams news and manager quotes.
Ipswich Town vs Liverpool match info
- Date: Friday 4 September 2026
- Kick off times: 8pm (BST) and 3pm (ET)
- Competition: Premier League matchday 3
- Venue: Portman Road - Suffolk
- How to watch: USA Network (USA) & Sky Sports (UK)
How can I watch Ipswich Town vs Liverpool?
This Premier League fixture will be broadcast by USA Network in the U.S. as well as Sky Sports Main Event and UHD in the UK and Ireland.
Other global broadcasters include Stan Sport in Australia, DAZN in Canada, Spain and Portugal, beIN Sports in the Arab world and SuperSport MaXimo in Africa.
Ipswich Town vs Liverpool match preview
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Ipswich Town (Home side): When Ipswich Town were last in the Premier League two seasons ago, they had seemingly already accepted their fate. The Tractor Boys won just four games all season, and were relegated with a whimper. This time though, they very much believe they belong among England's elite.
Now led by Gary O'Neil, Ipswich made the dream start to the campaign, beating Sunderland 2-1; Jack Clarke curling home a stoppage time winner against his former side. Then, last Sunday, the Blues were ultimately demolished 5-2 at Old Trafford, but that does not tell the whole story.
The visitors were the better side in the first half, taking the lead through a scrumptious volley by Leif Davis, before a second half collapse made the game appear more one-sided than it truly was. This, Ipswich appear as though they will be competitive all season, targeting a famous Friday night win.
Liverpool (Away team): Unlike their hosts, Liverpool are yet to win this season, desperate to change that in Suffolk. Andoni Iraola has overseen a pair of 2-2 draws thus far, the Reds needing goals towards the end to salvage a share of the spoils both times. Dominik Szoboszlai's 99th minute penalty pinched a point against Newcastle on the opening day.
Then, on Saturday, Iraola's team were twice behind against Nottingham Forest at Anfield, staring down the barrel of an ignominious defeat. Alexander Isak bagged the first equaliser, the ball put on a plate for the Swede by Cody Gakpo, before Víctor Muñoz lashed home eight minute from time.
Nevertheless, Liverpool cannot afford for this winless start to continue any longer. Iraola's team should be too strong, but will they leave Portman Road with three important points?
Ipswich Town team news
Gary O'Neil has named identical starting lineups for both Premier League matches so far, with very few changes forecast. At 6ft 9in, Kjell Scherpen is the tallest goalkeeper the division has ever seen, while fellow new recruit Daizen Maeda, who has arrived from Celtic, is a man to keep an eye on.
Liverpool team news
All the talk among Liverpool fans ahead of this one is whether or not Bradley Barcola will be available. In his media conference, Iraola stated that the new winger will "definitely" be available, but it remains to be seen if he'll be thrown in from the start.
Regardless, Cody Gakpo is likely to keep his place on the right-wing, with Víctor Muñoz the alternative to Barcola on the left. After two less than defensively secure performances from Jeremie Frimpong at right-back, could Ronald Araújo come in to start?
Conor Bradley, Joe Gomez, Giovanni Leoni, Federico Chiesa and Hugo Ekitiké remain sidelined.
Predicted Line-ups
- Ipswich Town predicted lineup: Scherpen; O'Shea, Diop, Greaves, Davis; Núñez, Lukić, Enciso, Fatawu, Maeda; Emersonn.
- Liverpool predicted lineup: Alisson; Frimpong, Jacquet, van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Wirtz; Gakpo, Muñoz, Isak.
- Score prediction: Ipswich Town 1-3 Liverpool.
What the manager have said
Gary O'Neil (Ipswich Town): It will be a test for us. They could easily have taken the full six points so far. They will be fired up. But, we have belief, we're ready to go again. We've reset, had a great week training, and we are ready. There is a fantastic energy in the group We can perform in a way that always gives us a real chance. I fully expect us to leave the stadium tomorrow night with more points than when we started.
Andoni Iraola (Liverpool): I think Ipswich has started well in terms of they won the first game at home and even the other day, you look at the result you can think, 'OK, they were far from Manchester United', but I think the first half probably they were the better team until United scored the 2-1 and the game went more open and they had to risk a little bit more. I think they were playing really well, so we have to be very ready and give our best to win our first game.
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