Ipswich Town

Image source, Opta

The Championship weekend begins in style on Friday night as upwardly-mobile Ipswich head to Oxford United (20:00 GMT).

The U's start the night in the relegation zone after Sheffield United's win over Portsmouth on Wednesday night, and though a stoppage-time equaliser from Filip Krastev rescued a point for Gary Rowett's men at Norwich the night before, it extended Oxford's winless run to five games from which they have taken just three points.

Tuesday's 2-0 victory at Hull City made it six matches unbeaten for Town, a run which has yielded 14 points, 12 goals and just three conceded.

Kieran McKenna's Tractor Boys have risen to fifth, with the chance to go second with a win at the Kassam Stadium.

• Oxford United have never lost a home league game against Ipswich Town (P12 W5 D7), both the most they've faced a side at home without ever losing and the most Ipswich have faced a side on the road without ever winning in the Football League.

• Ipswich Town lost 2-1 against Oxford in their last meeting in January 2023; they have never lost consecutive league games against the U's before.

• Oxford haven't won any of their past eight league games on a Friday (D4 L4), since a 3-2 win at Fleetwood Town on Good Friday in 2022.

• Ipswich have won each of their past three away league games, not since September 2023 have they won four in a row (first four of 2023-24 Championship season).

• Ipswich's Jaden Philogene has seven goal involvements across his past 12 Championship appearances (6 goals, 1 assist), the most of any player for the Tractor Boys in 2025-26.

Image source, Shutterstock

Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna was proud of his side's hard work and intensity after they extended their unbeaten run to six games with a 2-0 win at Hull City.

It was only Town's third victory in the last 21 away league meetings with The Tigers and lifted them up to fourth in the Championship.

"It was a tough game and I thought we showed the things you need to show in the Championship on tough midweek nights when you're not playing on a perfect pitch," McKenna told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"Our intensity was good, our defending was really good, the only chances we gave away were from a couple of turnovers - our press was good and made it hard for a good footballing team to get any sort of moves going.

"We didn't have as much control of the ball as we'd have liked in the first half but you have to have that base of hard work, intensity, organisation and resilience that we showed, and if you do that, then you know the goals can come.

"We scored a really good first goal and you could see the difference that made to the game, confidence comes into the group, the opposition open up some more spaces and stop working so hard to stop us, and we looked a big threat in the last 25 minutes and looked like we could score any number of goals."

Ipswich will look for a fourth successive away win in Friday evening's trip to Oxford United.

Marc Webber
BBC Final Score reporter

Image source, Shutterstock

There has been as much rotation in Kieran McKenna's starting XI of late as there is from the wind turbines off the breezy Suffolk coast.

A big squad, largely clear of injuries, has allowed the Ipswich manager to frequently rotate his side for a number of games now.

But this embarrassment of riches has raised the question among some fans as to whether there's too much tinkering.

It could be suggested a change in the team for the Wrexham game seemed to show a disconnect which led to eight missed chances.

Perhaps if the players starting the game were more used to playing with each other, final balls could have made it into the net?

However, with three away games in seven days coming up - starting with Tuesday's trip to Hull City - the ability to call on so many players may be an asset to ensure there is no travel sickness for the Tractor Boys on the road.

Image source, Getty Images

Ipswich Town captain Dara O'Shea says it will take a "full group effort" to maintain their current form through the remainder of the year.

The Tractor Boys have nine more games to play in 2025, starting with a trip to Hull City on Tuesday evening.

O'Shea has been an ever-present in the league side this season, partnering wither Cedric Kipre or Jacob Greaves in central defence.

"We've got a lot of games in quick succession. I want to play every game possible, I want to help this team, I want to help this club and I try to look after myself as best as possible," he told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"Our squad has such great depth, it's very competitive and everyone is pushing each other. A lot of games we've won have come from lads coming off the bench and playing their part and it's a massive thing for us, something we hope is going to put us in good stead, having such a big squad.

"It's going to be a full group effort, you mightn't be in the squad one week, but you might be coming on and scoring the winner the next - that's the main thing, sticking with it and being positive, understanding this is all a process and there's a lot of football to be played."

Ipswich are unbeaten in five games and just one point outside the play-off places despite drawing the last two at Portman Road, including Saturday's stalemate with Wrexham.

"It was frustrating. We did lots of good things during the game, created lots of chances, just didn't put the ball in the back of the net. But we'll crack on and go again," O'Shea added.

Ipswich Town travel to Hull City on Tuesday (19:45) in a bid for another successful away trip.

The Tractor Boys have won both their past two away games emphatically and will hope another big victory on the road will be enough to see them in the play-off places, potentially ousting their opponents.

But the Tigers have picked up more than double the points at home (17) than they have away from the MKM Stadium (8), losing just once on their own soil this season.

• After a 13-game unbeaten league run against Ipswich between 2010 and 2020 (W10 D3), Hull have now lost two of their last three against the Tractor Boys (D1).

• Ipswich have won just two of their 20 away league games against Hull (D7 L11), winning 5-2 in March 2007 and 1-0 in February 2021.

• Hull are unbeaten in their last six home league games (W4 D2), their longest since a nine game run between April and September 2023.

• Ipswich have won their last two away league games, beating both QPR and Swansea 4-1. They last won three in a row in March 2024, while they've never scored 4+ goals in three consecutively before.

• Joe Gelhardt has scored in each of his last three home league games. The last Hull player to score in more consecutively was Jarrod Bowen, who did eight in a row between December 2018 and March 2019.

Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna was left frustrated after his side had to settle for a point from a goalless draw with Wrexham at Portman Road.

Town dominated possession and had 19 goal attempts during the game but could not find a way past keeper Arthur Okonkwo, who achieved his third clean sheet in a row for the visitors.

"We feel like the win was there for us," McKenna said afterwards.

"I thought we started the game well, a really good tempo, we got into the areas we wanted to get to.

"When you don't quite do enough to get the early goal then it becomes more difficult and it can become frustrating.

"To be fair we gave away very few chances, almost nothing across the whole game.

"But we didn't quite manage to create as many big moments as we would want but it's really difficult when a team defends that close to their goal."

Ipswich are eighth in the table, one point outside the play-off places, ahead of Tuesday's trip to Hull City, who are sixth.

Image source, Getty Images

Phil Parkinson feels Ipswich Town are among the favourites to challenge for promotion this season as Wrexham return to Championship action against the Tractor Boys this afternoon (15:00 GMT).

Kieran McKenna's side go into the match at Portman Road having claimed 10 points from the last 12 on offer prior to the international break to sit two points above Wrexham.

But the Red Dragons head to Suffolk unbeaten in five league outings, with Parkinson stating his side travel to Ipswich buoyed by their own recent run.

"They're carrying a lot of Premier League standard players," the Wrexham manager told BBC Sport Wales.

"They're a good team, they've changed the squad around to a certain degree in the summer and of course they're one of the favourites to be up there.

"But we're on a good run ourselves and we go down there very confident and look forward to the challenge which Ipswich present."

Following a hectic run of seven matches in 22 days, Wrexham utilised the final international break of 2025 to get as many players as close to peak condition as possible.

And while Parkinson has been pleased with his side's improvement since the start of the campaign, the 57-year-old stated his team can still get better.

"It (international break) gave us a good opportunity as a staff to go back over the games we've had and look at all aspects of the team," added Parkinson.

"You're constantly working as a management team because you're always thinking 'how do we keep improving?'.

"It's given us a good chance to reflect and keep building on what we've done.

"We know there's a lot of work to be done in terms of improvement in the side, individually and collectively, but I feel we're getting to where we need to be."

If you're wondering where your team is going to finish in the Championship this season, you no longer need to worry.

Well, kind of.

Opta's supercomputer has worked its magic to figure out the most likely final league position of every team - and the chances each has of being promoted, making the play-offs or getting relegated.

Who is most likely to win automatic promotion?

It will come as no surprise that leaders Coventry are heavy favourites for the title (69.3%) and also have the highest chance of automatic promotion (84.2%) to the Premier League.

The next most likely to go straight up, with a 30.8% chance, are Middlesbrough. Despite currently sitting seventh and six points behind Boro in second, Ipswich are expected to be the third favourites for a top two finish (18.9%) followed by Stoke (14.1%).

Even though they've each enjoyed a strong start to the campaign, Preston (10.3%), Hull (6.1%) and Millwall (8.3%) have slimmer chances of finishing in an automatic promotion spot.

Who will make the play-offs?

Image source, Rex Features

Even if Coventry don't win automatic promotion, Opta's supercomputer has given the Sky Blues a 97.9% chance of a top-six finish, suggesting it's almost guaranteed.

Each of Middlesbrough, Ipswich, Preston and Stoke are expected to finish in a minimum of a play-off position at least one in two times.

Hull might feel the hardest done by as they sit fifth currently, but are said to have less chance (32.3%) than Millwall (38.8%) and Charton (32.4%), who are below them in the table.

The most likely of the chasing pack to make a surge up the table are 12th-placed Leicester City, who have been given a 31.8% chance of finishing in the top six and are more likely than Bristol City (28.9%), Derby (22.9%) and Birmingham (19.9%).

Last season's beaten play-off finalists Sheffield United have just a 1.8% chance of recovering their season to make the play-offs again, while relegated Premier League side Southampton (12.5%) aren't likely to either... if you trust the supercomputer!

Who is going down?

Image source, Rex Features

It's probably not hard to work out who is most likely to finish bottom and be relegated to League One.

Sheffield Wednesday's 12-point deduction, which has left them 17 points adrift of safety on -4 points, means they're pretty much nailed on to finish bottom (84.8%) - and failing that, are almost certain to go down (98.2%).

Second from bottom Norwich are the next most likely candidates to fall through the trap door (58.5%) but Sheffield United, who currently occupy the final relegation spot, have just a 22.4% chance of going down and are considered more likely to stay up than Oxford (37.8%) and Portsmouth (31.3%).

History will be made when Ipswich Town host Wrexham on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The two have never met in the English Football League and will be competing to try and draw first blood at Portman Road.

For the Tractor Boys, an even bigger prize is on offer, as a win could see them enter the top six and extend their undefeated run to a fifth league game.

• This is the first ever league meeting between Ipswich and Wrexham. Their only previous encounter was in the FA Cup third round in 1994-95 when the Red Dragons won 2-1 under Brian Flynn.

• Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson has won his last two league games against Ipswich, beating them twice during 2020 when he was Sunderland boss in League One.

• Ipswich Town have won four of their last six home league matches (D1 L1) and have lost one of their last 29 at Portman Road in the Championship (W19 D9), losing to newly promoted Charlton last month

• From MD6 onwards this season, no side have lost fewer Championship matches than Wrexham (1), with the Red Dragons unbeaten in five (W3 D2) since a 1-0 loss to Stoke in October.

• No player has scored more home Championship goals this season than Ipswich's Jaden Philogene (6). He's had a hand in 15 goals in his last 23 home appearances across spells with Hull and the Tractor Boys (12 goals, 3 assists).

Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna told BBC Radio Suffolk:

"You enjoy your away wins, they're a really good connector for the group. You go away from home to tough places like this and you get the win and you have to work hard for it. It's really good for bringing a new group together.

"It is a result to enjoy and importantly I thought it was a really good performance.

"From the first whistle pretty much to the end I thought there was lots to enjoy about our play.

"On the ball most of our defending was really good, though we are frustrated to concede the goal.

"But I thought it was a really strong performance, a performance to enjoy and of course a really good result."

Image source, Opta

Ipswich will seek to keep building momentum as they head to Swansea on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Kieran McKenna's men are 10th and within three points of the play-off places, with a game in hand, after earning a 1-1 draw at home to Watford on Tuesday night.

It made it seven points from their past three games, including a 4-1 win at QPR in their most recent away game last Saturday.

The Swans are three points back in 17th and are consistently inconsistent, failing to record consecutive results of any kind in their 14 games so far this season.

They fell to a battling 2-1 defeat at Preston on Wednesday having grabbed a point at Charlton last Saturday but won their most recent home game against Norwich 2-1.

• Swansea have lost their past two home league games against Ipswich, having lost just one of their first 13 against them between 1947 and 2011 (W7 D5).

• Ipswich did the league double over Swansea when they last faced each other in 2023-24 – they've never won three in a row against the Swans before.

• After winning five consecutive league games at the start of April, Swansea have now won just four of their last 16 (D6 L6).

• Ipswich have conceded in each of their past 22 away league games, their longest run without a clean sheet on the road since a run of 23 in the 2018-19 campaign.

• Both Swansea and Ipswich have conceded five headed goals in the Championship so far this season, with only QPR (7) conceding more.