Arsenal and Ipswich will bring down the curtain on the festive round of Premier League fixtures with their clash at the Emirates Stadium this evening.
The Gunners will resume their pursuit of Liverpool and Chelsea with renewed hope after thrashing Crystal Palace 5-1 at Selhurst Park on Saturday, but they suffered a major setback in that game when star man Bukayo Saka sustained a hamstring injury that will keep him out of action for some time.
Ipswich are understandably finding life tough in the top flight after rising from League One over the past two seasons and they went into Christmas in 19th place after a 4-0 home hammering by Newcastle.
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Arsenal vs Ipswich tips
- Arsenal -2 3-Way Handicap – 19/20
- Gabriel Martinelli Anytime Goalscorer – 21/20
- Liam Delap Anytime Carded Player – 2/1
Gunners should plough through Tractor Boys’ defence
Arsenal won by three goals or more for the third time in their last six Premier League matches on Saturday and they could achieve the same feat against Ipswich.
The 5-1 away rout of Crystal Palace followed a 3-0 home win over Nottingham Forest and a 5-2 road success at West Ham in that span and the Gunners also triumphed 3-0 against Monaco in the Champions League two weeks ago.
Mikel Arteta’s team average two goals per game in the Premier League this season but have been more prolific lately, with 27 goals scored in their last nine matches in all competitions.
Saka has been a key player in their attack but the goals continued to flow after he was hurt in the 24th minute of the game at Selhurst Park with Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and Declan Rice all scoring after his early exit.
The Gunners were held to top-flight draws by Fulham and Everton, enabling Chelsea to move ahead of them into second place, but they have an ideal opportunity to gain ground against the struggling Suffolk side.
Ipswich have lost four of their last five Premier League matches after Saturday’s one-sided 4-0 home defeat against Newcastle and Manchester City, West Ham and Brentford have also scored four against them.
Martinelli could strike again
Gabriel Martinelli impressed in an unaccustomed role on the right wing after Saka’s injury against the Eagles and he scored the team’s fourth goal with a close-range effort for his fourth strike of the season.
The Brazilian made a number of other positive contributions and it will be no surprise if manager Mikel Arteta keeps him on the right for the Ipswich game.
Martinelli has a habit of getting in on the scoring when teams are on the ropes, with his previous goals this term including one in another 5-1 win over Sporting in the Champions League and also in the 4-2 home league victory over Leicester.
Ipswich haven’t kept a clean sheet in their last 13 games in all competitions and Martinelli could get on the scoresheet again on Friday night.
Delap may be quickly back in trouble
Ipswich were without top scorer Liam Delap for their defeat to Newcastle and his return will be welcomed by manager Kieran McKenna, but there’s no guarantee that the 21-year-old will be able to stay out of trouble now he has served his suspension.
Delap reached five league yellow cards after picking up two in successive matches against Bournemouth and Wolves and he has been booked in half of his last half-dozen appearances, having also been cautioned in the 2-1 win at Tottenham.
It’s unusual for a striker to incur the wrath of referees quite so often and Delap also picked up a booking in an EFL Cup game against AFC Wimbledon despite being on the pitch for only 12 minutes as a substitute.
It could be a frustrating night for the visitors and with a clean slate again, Delap may be in danger of collecting another card.
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