While Ipswich Town lost 2-0 to Liverpool, they did impress against Arne Slot’s side and they could give Manchester City a tough test on Saturday.
In the first-half in particular, Kieran McKenna’s side pressed the Reds excellently and looked the more threatening side.
However, Liverpool’s much-improved second-half display coupled with their superior quality meant the likes of Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah scored the vital goals to secure the three points for them.
Manchester City will also be expecting a game that is anything but a walk in the park for them.
Pep Guardiola’s side will also be aware that Ipswich will especially be motivated to beat the champions of England.
Especially at the Etihad Stadium, where even the best of visiting teams struggle to get a result.
Merson reveals ‘kind’ prediction for Ipswich Town ahead of Man City clash
Coming off the back of their 2-0 win against Chelsea, the hosts will be feeling confident.
Manchester City did not look as sharp as they do at their best and yet, they seemingly found it relatively comfortable to beat a side that could be challenging for Champions League spots this season.
But against the newly-promoted side, the Sky Blues will be expecting a completely different challenge.
However, in Paul Merson’s weekly Premier League predictions for Sportskeeda, he revealed that he cannot look past Manchester City beating Ipswich 3-0 at home.
“What a tough start to the new campaign for Ipswich Town. They did well against Liverpool in my opinion. But as a promoted team, you don’t get many chances in these fixtures and if you get them, you’ve got to make them count. Unfortunately, they couldn’t do that against Arne Slot’s Reds.”
“Nobody is expecting Ipswich to win but they don’t want to be on the end of a 5-0 or 6-0 loss here. So, they have to turn up for this clash. Ipswich could cause problems to Manchester City, if they played in the first-half they did against Liverpool.”
Paul Merson added that he does not see any team stopping Manchester City from winning the title and as a result, he expects a routine victory for them against Ipswich.
“I’ve said this from the word ‘go’, I can’t see anyone putting an end to City’s dominance. They literally destroyed Chelsea in second gear without key players.”
“When Liverpool and Arsenal go to Chelsea, it will be tough games. But City always looked comfortable. I’m going to go kind on Ipswich with my prediction, it will be a 3-0 loss.”
Tough to look past a win for Man City against Ipswich
Considering the gulf in class between both sides, it is hard to disagree with Paul Merson about Manchester City defeating Ipswich.
Much like against Liverpool, even if the visitors give City a difficult time, the quality of some of their attacking players in particular could get them over the line.
Against Chelsea, the likes of Erling Haaland and Savinho to name a few showcased that the Premier League winners have a level of quality that not many sides in England possess.
Omari Hutchinson looked sharp against Liverpool while Liam Delap will be determined to prove a point against his former club.
While the young pair could cause City problems, the same can be applied to Ipswich’s players — with Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva being calibre of attackers they were not accustomed to playing in the Championship last season.
The contest on Saturday promises to be an intriguing one and it will be interesting to see whether Manchester City come out on top or whether Ipswich could cause an upset.
Regardless of the result, City should perhaps remain calm as the title race will not be determined after two league games.
