Ipswich Town will welcome Hull City to Portman Road on Tuesday night in a rearranged Championship fixture that could have a pivotal impact on the playoff and promotion races.
Both sides go into the game sitting level on 60 points, just three points adrift of the automatic promotion spots ahead of Middlesbrough's match on Monday night.
Read on for our Ipswich vs Hull predictions and betting tips, and click here to find more betting tips for today.
| IPS | vs | HULL |
|---|---|---|
| 4th | Position | 5th |
| 2nd | xPos | 23 |
| 17-9-7 | W-D-L | 18-6-10 |
| 60 | Points | 60 |
| 62 | xPTS | 38 |
| 59 | Goals For | 56 |
| 55.5 | xG | 44.0 |
| 1.79 | Avg GPG | 1.65 |
| 34 | Goals Against | 48 |
| 31.7 | xGA | 61.0 |
| 1.03 | Avg GAPG | 1.41 |
| 12 | Clean Sheets | 10 |
| 2nd | Home Rank | 10th |
| 10th | Away Rank | 1st |
| Jack Clarke (12) | Top Scorer | Oli McBurnie (13) |
| Marcelino Nunez (8) | Top Assister | Ryan Giles (8) |
Contents
Ipswich vs. Hull preview: Who holds the edge in crucial Championship promotion battle?
The Championship's second-best home team welcomes its best away team on Tuesday in what promises to be a contest as consequential as it is fascinating.
The mere fact that these two sides come into this game level on points in the table is remarkable enough, with Hull continuing to make a mockery of the 'expected' metrics this season and pushing for promotion when the underlying numbers suggest that they 'should' be deeply in the relegation mire.
Sergei Jakirovic's side have outperformed their expected points by a whopping 22 this term, leaving them fifth in the real table whereas the 'expected' table has them down in 23rd place - an 18-place over-performance.
Hull keeper Ivor Pandur ranks second for most saves per match in the division (3.3).
Indeed, there are 24 points between these two sides in that hypothetical table, but we are deep enough into the season now for Hull to be confident that their supposed chronic over-performance is in fact a trend that is likely to continue.
All of that makes them a difficult team to predict with any great degree of certainty - a point driven home by their February league form, which has seen them draw at home to Watford, lose at home to Bristol City and Queens Park Rangers, but then beat Derby County and Portsmouth in their last two to get back on track.
Ipswich have been awarded the most penalties in the Championship this season.
Saturday's 1-0 triumph at Fratton Park saw them move to the top of the away table in the Championship with an unrivalled 30 points claimed on the road this season - accounting for exactly 50% of their points in total.
This weekend sees them come up against a team that has only been beaten once at home all season, though, with Ipswich winning 38 points from their 17 outings in front of their own fans - only Coventry City have fared better on home turf.
The Tractor Boys also have the joint-best defensive record at home and overall in the Championship this term, making this perhaps the toughest test yet for Hull's impressive away form.
Ipswich vs. Hull form guide & betting tips
| IPS | vs | HULL |
|---|---|---|
| D-W-L-W-W | Form | D-L-L-W-W |
| 10 | Points | 7 |
| 5th | Form Table | 11th |
| 11 | Goals For | 8 |
| 2.2 | Avg Goals Per Game | 1.6 |
| 7 | Goals Against | 8 |
| 1.4 | Avg GA Per Game | 1.6 |
Whispers predicts: Ipswich 1-1 Hull
The formbook points towards Ipswich, the underlying numbers point towards Ipswich and the bookmakers also have the hosts as clear favourites - surprisingly clear given Hull's away record this season.
Indeed, Hull to win at 7.50 is tempting as an outside punt, and there could be some value in Double chance draw or Hull at 2.75.
We are predicting a Draw at 4.33 though, and our tip also brings Under 2.5 goals at 2.20 and BTTS - Yes at 1.83 into play.
A Draw & BTTS is priced at 5.50, which perhaps stands out as the value bet for us, while the correct score market has 1-1 correct score at 8.50.
Clearly, Ipswich are the favourites, but at 1.42 we don't see a huge amount of value in backing the hosts against the league's best away team.