Blackburn Rovers vs Ipswich Town — Match Preview
A chilly Tuesday night at Ewood Park sets the scene for a compelling Championship clash as Blackburn Rovers host promotion-chasing Ipswich Town. The atmosphere in Lancashire is tense; Blackburn find themselves in 18th place, looking nervously over their shoulders after a run of inconsistent form. Valérien Ismaël’s side scraped a 1-1 draw against Wrexham last time out but have managed just one win in their last five games.
Visiting them is an Ipswich Town side sitting 8th, just outside the playoff places. Kieran McKenna’s men have been the definition of “hit or miss” recently—beating Hull and Swansea comfortably but suffering a frustrating 2-1 defeat to Oxford United on the weekend. With the league table tightening up, Ipswich know that dropping points against struggling teams could be fatal for their top-six ambitions.
Blackburn Rovers vs Ipswich Town — Quick Match Info
- Fixture: Blackburn Rovers vs Ipswich Town
- Competition: EFL Championship (Matchday 18)
- Venue: Ewood Park, Blackburn (Capacity: 31,367)
- Date: Tuesday, 02 December 2025
- Kickoff Time: 19:45 GMT / 20:45 CET / 01:15 IST (Wednesday)
- Referee: Oliver Langford
- TV Channel (UK): Sky Sports Football (Red Button)
- TV Channel (International): RoversTV, TownTV
- Live Stream: Sky Go, FanCode (India)
Blackburn Rovers vs Ipswich Town — Match Context (2025/26 Season)
Blackburn Rovers:
- Position: 18th in Championship (20 Points).
- Form: Stuttering. They have picked up just 4 points from the last 15 available. The 1-1 draw vs Wrexham showed character, but the 0-1 home loss to QPR highlighted their struggle to break down low blocks.
- Current Challenge: An injury crisis. Ismaël is missing his starting goalkeeper (Tóth), key defender (Wharton), and creative spark (Cantwell), forcing him to field a makeshift XI.
Ipswich Town:
- Position: 8th in Championship (27 Points).
- Form: Inconsistent. Capable of brilliance (4-1 vs Swansea) and bafflement (1-2 vs Oxford). They are the league’s entertainers, scoring 29 goals but conceding 18.
- Current Challenge: Consistency on the road. McKenna needs to find a way to win ugly when the free-flowing football doesn’t click.
Blackburn Rovers vs Ipswich Town — What’s at Stake
For Blackburn Rovers:
- Breathing Space: A win would move them to 23 points, potentially lifting them towards mid-table safety and easing the growing pressure on Ismaël.
For Ipswich Town:
- Playoff Pursuit: A win takes them to 30 points, which could vault them back into the top 6 depending on other results. They cannot afford to let the gap to the automatic spots widen.
Blackburn Rovers vs Ipswich Town — Team Form
Blackburn Rovers (Last 5 Matches):
- D vs Wrexham (1-1)
- L vs QPR (0-1)
- W vs Preston (2-1)
- L vs Derby (1-2)
- W vs Bristol City (1-0)
Ipswich Town (Last 5 Matches):
- L vs Oxford Utd (1-2)
- W vs Hull City (2-0)
- D vs Wrexham (0-0)
- W vs Swansea (4-1)
- D vs Watford (1-1)
Blackburn Rovers vs Ipswich Town — Team News
Blackburn Rovers:
- Balázs Tóth: Out (Knee Injury – Aynsley Pears will start in goal).
- Todd Cantwell: Out (Knee Injury – A massive creative loss).
- Scott Wharton: Out (Achilles Tendon).
- Sondre Tronstad: Out (Inactive).
- Hayden Carter: Out (Inactive).
- Taylor Gardner-Hickman: Suspended (Yellow Cards).
- Andri Gudjohnsen: Expected to lead the line in the absence of other attacking options.
Ipswich Town:
- Alex Palmer: Out (Calf Injury – Christian Walton steps in as GK).
- Sammie Szmodics: Out (Knee Injury – No return to Ewood Park for the former Rovers hero).
- Harry Clarke: Out (Knee Injury).
- Conor Townsend: Out (Knee Injury).
- Wes Burns: Questionable (Knee Injury – Unlikely to be risked from the start).
- Liam Delap: Available and expected to be the main goal threat.
Blackburn Rovers vs Ipswich Town — Head to Head
- 29 Mar 2024: Blackburn 0–1 Ipswich
- 23 Sep 2023: Ipswich 4–3 Blackburn
- 19 Jan 2019: Blackburn 2–0 Ipswich
- 04 Aug 2018: Ipswich 2–2 Blackburn
- 14 Jan 2017: Ipswich 3–2 Blackburn
Blackburn Rovers vs Ipswich Town — Predicted Lineups
Blackburn Rovers (4-2-3-1):
Ismaël is down to the bare bones. Pears returns between the sticks. Buckley may be forced to play a deeper role to cover for the missing midfielders.
- GK: Aynsley Pears
- RB: Callum Brittain
- CB: Dominic Hyam (C)
- CB: Danny Batth
- LB: Harry Pickering
- CDM: Lewis Travis
- CDM: John Buckley
- RW: Ryan Hedges
- CAM: Tyrhys Dolan
- LW: Arnor Sigurdsson
- ST: Andri Gudjohnsen
Ipswich Town (4-2-3-1):
McKenna rotates slightly to keep legs fresh. Omari Hutchinson (if available) or Broadhead will look to exploit Blackburn’s depleted defense.
- GK: Christian Walton
- RB: Axel Tuanzebe
- CB: Luke Woolfenden
- CB: Jacob Greaves
- LB: Leif Davis
- CDM: Sam Morsy (C)
- CDM: Jack Taylor
- RW: Chiedozie Ogbene
- CAM: Conor Chaplin
- LW: Nathan Broadhead
- ST: Liam Delap
Blackburn Rovers vs Ipswich Town — Impact Bench Options
Blackburn Rovers:
- Yuki Ohashi: The Japanese forward offers energy and pressing if Blackburn need to chase the game in the second half.
- Makhtar Gueye: A physical presence to throw on if they resort to long balls.
Ipswich Town:
- George Hirst: A proven goalscorer at this level. If Delap is struggling, Hirst provides a more traditional target man option.
- Jack Clarke: Even off the bench, his dribbling ability against tired full-backs is a cheat code.
Blackburn Rovers vs Ipswich Town — Tactical Outlook
Blackburn Rovers:
- Playing Style: Pragmatic Survival. With so many key players out (Cantwell, Tronstad, Wharton), Ismaël cannot play expansive football. They will likely sit in a mid-block, try to frustrate Ipswich, and hit quickly through Dolan and Hedges.
- Weakness: Midfield Control. Missing Tronstad and Gardner-Hickman leaves the midfield engine room very light. Ipswich’s Morsy and Taylor could dominate possession easily.
Ipswich Town:
- Playing Style: McKenna-Ball. Ipswich will dominate the ball (expect 60%+ possession). They will push Leif Davis high up the left flank to create overloads. They will look to pull Blackburn’s makeshift defense apart with quick, intricate passing around the box.
- Strength: Wide Overloads. Blackburn’s full-backs will be under constant pressure. Davis and Ogbene are relentless in delivering crosses.
Blackburn Rovers vs Ipswich Town — Key Battles
| Matchup | Battle Type | Edge |
| Leif Davis vs. Callum Brittain | Assist King vs. Defender: Davis is the best attacking full-back in the league. Brittain has to stop the supply line or Blackburn will crumble. | Ipswich |
| Sam Morsy vs. Tyrhys Dolan | The Enforcer vs. The Creator: Morsy will look to physically intimidate Dolan. If Dolan disappears, Blackburn have no link to the striker. | Ipswich |
| Dominic Hyam vs. Liam Delap | Experience vs. Power: Delap is a handful. Hyam needs to be smart and not get rolled by the young striker’s strength. | Tie |
Blackburn Rovers vs Ipswich Town — Spotlight Players
Tyrhys Dolan (Blackburn):
With Cantwell out, the creative burden falls entirely on Dolan. He needs to demand the ball and drive at the Ipswich defense. If he has a quiet game, Blackburn likely won’t score.
Leif Davis (Ipswich):
The left-back is essentially a winger. His delivery is world-class for this level. Against a Blackburn side missing their first-choice center-back (Wharton), his crosses will be the primary weapon.
Blackburn Rovers vs Ipswich Town — Fan Reactions
Blackburn Fans:
“No Cantwell, no Wharton, no Tronstad… this could be a long night.”
“We need Pears to have the game of his life. A point would be a miracle with this squad.”
Ipswich Fans:
“We can’t slip up again after Oxford. Blackburn are decimated by injuries, we have to be ruthless.”
“Shame Szmodics is injured, he would have loved to score at Ewood.”
Blackburn Rovers vs Ipswich Town — Match-Defining Factors
- The Injury List: Blackburn’s “Will Not Play” list is an entire starting XI of quality. It’s hard to see how they cope with Ipswich’s depth over 90 minutes.
- Early Goal: If Ipswich score early, Ewood Park could turn toxic quickly given Rovers’ recent struggles.
- Set Pieces: With Batth and Hyam, Blackburn still have height. Corners might be their best route to a goal.
Blackburn Rovers vs Ipswich Town — Prediction
Score Prediction: Blackburn Rovers 0–2 Ipswich Town
Betting Insights:
- Outcome: Ipswich Town to Win.
- Total Goals: Under 3.5 Goals (Blackburn will try to defend; Ipswich might not need to go full throttle).
- Clean Sheet: Ipswich Town (Blackburn lack creativity without Cantwell).
Analysis: It is hard to look past the away win here. Blackburn are ravaged by injuries to their spine (GK, CB, CM, CAM), while Ipswich have the squad depth to rotate and still field a promotion-calibre team. McKenna’s side should control the game from start to finish and leave Lancashire with three points.
Blackburn Rovers vs Ipswich Town — Final Word
Ipswich Town arrive at the perfect time to face a depleted Blackburn Rovers. While the Championship is never predictable, the disparity in available talent makes this an uphill battle for the hosts. Expect a professional performance from the Tractor Boys as they aim to get their promotion charge back on track.
Blackburn Rovers vs Ipswich Town — FAQs
When is the Blackburn vs Ipswich match?
The match kicks off on Tuesday, 02 December 2025, at 19:45 GMT.
Is Todd Cantwell playing?
No, Todd Cantwell is out with a knee injury.
Is Sammie Szmodics playing against his old club?
No, former Blackburn star Sammie Szmodics is injured and will not feature for Ipswich.
Where can I watch the match in India?
You can stream the match live on FanCode.
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