Our prediction for this FA Cup match:
Burnley will be aiming to build on a thrilling 3-0 win over Norwich City when they take on Ipswich Town in the FA Cup replay. The Clarets moved one step closer to securing automatic promotion, but they have big ambitions for the FA Cup as well. Jay Rodriguez has joined the likes of Benson Manuel, Arijanet Muric, and Taylor Harwood-Bellis in the recovery room, with all Vitinho, Charlie Taylor, and Scott Twine pushing for a start.
Meanwhile, the Tractor Boys came from behind to share the spoils with Cambridge United at the weekend. Since Ipswich Town are fully focused on the League One, we are tempted to put our money on the Championship side this time out. Both Marcus Harness and George Hurst should be recalled to the starting XI, while there are no fresh injury worries in the League One side ahead of the trip to Lancashire.
Highlighted Player (Jay Rodríguez):
Having progressed through the youth ranks of his hometown club Burnley, Jay Rodriguez was rewarded with a professional debut against Bristol City in December 2007 as an 18-year-old boy. It wasn’t until the 2008/09 season when he began to show glimpses of proper promise for the Clarets, however.
With 15 goals and six assists in 37 Championship outings in 2011/12 campaign, Jay Rodriguez caught the eye of several Premier League clubs and it was Southampton who pounced for his signature in a £7 million deal. Six goals and eight assist in his debut Premier League season were followed by a breakthrough record of 15 goals and three assists in 33 matches of the 2013/14 campaign.
An unfortunate cruciate ligament injury sustained in April 2014 halted his progress as he sat through the entire 2014/15 season. It did not prevent West Bromwich Albion from making a move for Rodriguez in 2017, making him the first signing of the summer transfer window, worth a reported £12 million. The WBA forward features only once for England U21 in 2011 and made a single senior appearance – in a 2-0 defeat to Chile in November 2013.
Highlighted Team (Ipswich):
Ipswich Town are an English football club that was formed in 1878. Portman Road has been the home ground of Ipswich Town since 1894 and the capacity of the venue, which was expanded in 2002, is 30,311. The Tractor Boys compete in the Championship, but they used to play in the English Premier League in the past as well. Ipswich Town last appeared in the elite division in the 2001/2002 season.
Ipswich won the FA Cup in 1978, with the team beating Arsenal (1-0) in the title game. However, the club’s biggest success came in 1981 when they outplayed AZ Alkmaar in the UEFA Cup final. It has to be noted that the Tractor Boys have yet to suffer a loss at home ground in the European competitions.
Norwich City are regarded as Ipswich Town’s bitterest rivals and it is well known that the two sides take on each other in the East Anglian derby.