Ipswich vs Liverpool: Iraola Seeks First League Win
Portman Road gets the Friday night spotlight on September 4, as Ipswich Town welcome Liverpool for a Gameweek 3 clash that already carries a bit of edge. Kick-off is at 8:00pm BST, 3:00pm ET. One side is licking its wounds, the other still searching for liftoff.
Gary O’Neil’s newly promoted Ipswich arrive on the back of a sobering 5–2 defeat to Manchester United, a jolt after opening the season with a win over Sunderland. Liverpool, under Andoni Iraola, have yet to win a league game, held to 2–2 draws by both Newcastle and Nottingham Forest. For a club used to setting the pace, that’s an uncomfortable start.
Tickets are gone. The away end is officially sold out through the Liverpool FC Tickets Portal. This one will play out in front of a packed, partisan crowd.
Where to watch around the world
Those not lucky enough to be in Suffolk have options.
- In the UK, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event carry the game live, with streaming via NOW TV.
- In Germany, Sky Sport has the broadcast, while Canal+ takes it into homes across France.
- USA Network shows the match in the United States, with FuboTV offering a streaming option there and in Canada through FuboTV Canada.
- Across India and the subcontinent, coverage comes via Star Sports Select and Disney+ Hotstar.
- Optus Sport has the rights in Australia, with Sky Sport NZ showing the fixture in New Zealand.
- SuperSport MaXimo beams the contest across Sub-Saharan Africa.
- In South America, ESPN and Disney+ will stream the game.
- For those on the move or preferring audio, free live radio commentary is available through the official Liverpool FC app.
Team news: Ipswich tighten up, Liverpool reshaped
Ipswich’s first two games laid bare both promise and vulnerability: an encouraging win over Sunderland, then that five-goal concession at Old Trafford. O’Neil’s response is expected to be pragmatic.
Emersonn is a doubt after limping off last weekend, and O’Neil is set to lean on a compact five-man defence. Darnell Furlong could be pushed into a wing-back role, tasked with patrolling the flank and giving Ipswich some thrust on the counter.
In midfield, Exequiel Palacios is in line to start centrally ahead of Marcelino Nunez, offering more control and bite in the middle of the pitch.
Ipswich Town’s predicted XI: Scherpen; Furlong, O’Shea, Diop, Greaves, Davis; Fatawu, Palacios, Lukic, Maeda; Enciso.
Liverpool’s story is very different, but just as intriguing. Two draws from two, and a squad reshaped after the departures of Mohamed Salah, Ibrahima Konate and Andrew Robertson. The back line and front line both look and feel new.
Injuries have not helped. Joe Gomez is out, as are Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitike, Federico Chiesa and Giovanni Leoni. That limits Iraola’s options as he tries to imprint his aggressive, high-energy style on this group.
The headline signing, Bradley Barcola, who arrived for €125 million, has travelled with the squad but is expected to start on the bench while he adjusts to the demands of Iraola’s system.
Liverpool’s predicted XI: Alisson; Frimpong, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Munoz, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak.
Dominik Szoboszlai is set for a personal milestone: his 150th appearance for Liverpool, a landmark that underlines how quickly he has become a central figure.
History, odds and an old wound for Liverpool
The past offers little comfort to Ipswich. Liverpool’s record at Portman Road in the Premier League is imposing: six visits, four wins, two draws, no defeats. Across their last 11 competitive meetings with Ipswich, Liverpool have never conceded more than once in a game.
Recent scorelines read like a one-sided rivalry. Liverpool won 4–1 in January 2025, 2–0 in August 2024, then those heavy victories from the early 2000s: 5–0 in May 2002, 6–0 in February 2002, and 1–0 in December 2000.
Yet there is a twist. Gary O’Neil knows how to bloody Liverpool’s nose. He was the last manager of a newly promoted side to beat them in the league, doing it with Bournemouth in 2023. That result still lingers in the memory and gives Ipswich belief that structure, discipline and a sharp game plan can unsettle the favourites.
The bookmakers lean heavily towards the visitors. Liverpool are priced at 11/20 to win, with the draw at 7/2 and an Ipswich victory at 4/1.
So the stage is set: a sold-out Portman Road, a wounded newcomer, a giant still trying to find its stride under a new coach. Does Iraola finally claim that first league win, or does O’Neil write another chapter in his habit of troubling Liverpool?
