It’s a huge basement battle in the Premier League on Saturday as 17th-placed Wolves take on 18th-placed Ipswich at Portman Road.
Wolves are the only team that can realistically be caught by the three sides in the relegation zone. Even then, their 1-0 win against West Ham has put them within touching distance of survival.
Jorgen Strand Larsen scored his third goal in two games as Wolves secured a vital three points on Tuesday.
However, Ipswich kept their survival chances alive with a 2-1 win at Bournemouth on Wednesday. This closed the gap between themselves and Wolves to nine points with eight games left to play.
IPSWICH VS WOLVES PREVIEW
Wolves are on a bit of a roll right now, with their victory against West Ham being their second straight win. They are unbeaten in three Premier League games, drawing 1-1 against Everton before their two victories. Their last away game saw them beat Southampton 2-1.
Ipswich, meanwhile, kept their hopes of playing Premier League football next season alive by beating Bournemouth 2-1 on Wednesday. Nathan Broadhead scored his first Premier League goal while Liam Delap scored his 11th of the campaign to make it 2-0. A 67th minute goal for Evanilson proved to be a mere consolation for Bournemouth.
The win was Ipswich’s first since December. They had been the only team in England’s top four divisions not to have won in 2025 prior to this game. The victory also snapped a four-match losing run in the Premier League.
There was no league fixture between the two sides last season as Ipswich were in the Championship. However, Ipswich did beat Wolves 3-2 in the League Cup. This was the last game between the two sides at Portman Road.
The Tractor Boys also secured a rare victory at Molineux earlier this season. A Jack Taylor goal in the 94th minute gave Town all three points. This was after Matheus Cunha had cancelled out a Matt Doherty own goal.
This means Ipswich will be looking for a third straight victory against Wolves in a fixture that they simply must win.
IPSWICH VS WOLVES – PREDICTIONS
Ipswich Win
Ipswich can take heart from the fact they beat Wolves away this season. With their passionate home support, they could secure the double. It’s very much last-chance saloon and their win at Bournemouth could give them the boost they need.
Draw
Five of the last nine games between the two sides have ended in draws, while the two teams are clearly evenly matched based on league position.
Wolves Win
Wolves will know that a win here will almost guarantee Premier League survival, taking the pressure off for the rest of the campaign. They are unbeaten in three games with momentum clearly on their side.
IPSWICH VS WOLVES – BETTING TIPS
Draw
This tie is very evenly balanced between two sides who are enduring similar campaigns. While one team is on the right side of the relegation line and the other isn’t, home advantage tilts this game in favour of Ipswich. Their victory over Bournemouth will provide some confidence. However, Wolves will know that defeat could throw them back into the relegation battle. Wolves have picked up seven points from the last nine so are clearly a team in form too. I expect all of this to mean the two sides cancel each other out.
Jorgen Strand Larsen to Score Anytime
Larsen scored his third goal in two games in Wolves’ 1-0 win against West Ham on Tuesday and is clearly a man in form. He will be relishing his chances against a defence that has conceded 63 goals this season.
Matheus Cunha to Score or Assist
Matheus Cunha has been involved in nine of Wolves’ goals away from home in the Premier League this season. He has scored eight of them, assisting once. He has either scored (three times) or assisted (three times) in each of his last five starts against newly promoted sides in the English top flight. He scored Wolves’ only goal in their 2-1 defeat against Ipswich earlier this season.
HEAD-TO-HEAD AND KEY STATS
- Ipswich and Wolves have played each other 87 times, with the Tractor Boys winning 33 encounters. Wolves have won 29, while there have been 25 draws.
- Ipswich have won their last two games against Wolves, 3-2 in the League Cup in September 2023 and 2-1 in the Premier League back in December.
- Ipswich are looking to complete their first league double against Wolves since the 1991/92 season.
- Ipswich have lost 10 league matches at home this season, including all of the last five.
- Wolves are currently on an unbeaten three-match run in the Premier League (W2, D1).
- Before their current two-match winning run, Wolves had only won two games out of the previous 19 (D5, L12).
- Wolves have won six of their last eight Premier League games against newly promoted sides (D1, L1).
