Ipswich v Watford Preview
Just nine points separate these two in the table, yet both have vastly different objectives for the season. Ipswich manager Jim Magilton still believes his side have an outside chance of the play offs, while Watford are five points clear of the relegation zone but by no means safe of avoiding the drop.
As it stands, Ipswich are sat in 10th position and with seven points separating them from the top six, it really would be a tall order for them to quality for the play offs. Still, Jim Magilton remains confident and it can’t be denied that he’s had more than enough backing from his board. The Tractor Boys pulled off a magnificent coup in the loan market a week or so ago when they brought in Tottenham wonder kid Giovani Dos Santos. Although he hasn’t lived up to his impressive reputation at Spurs, it looks as though he’s already adapted to life in the Championship having scored on his home debut midweek. However, it will take more than a solo effort for Ipswich to close down that seven point margin and Magilton’s men will know that they probably need five or six wins from their remaining seven games if they are to claim a play off spot.
As for Watford, Brendan Rodgers still knows the job of keeping the Hornets in this division is far from over. The club currently sit in 16th position but with five points separating them from the drop zone, they’ll know that they require at least two victories if they are to confirm their Championship status. One thing that will be on their mind a lot will be the point they dropped to Cardiff on Wednesday. It looked as though the game was heading for a draw only for a dubious last minute penalty to be awarded to Cardiff, which they duly converted. It remains to be seen how crucial that decision will prove to be in the Hornets’ fight for survival.
On the team news front, it really looks bleak for Ipswich at the moment though. Luciano Civelli, Jon Walters and Jordan Rhodes have all been told they won’t play again this season while defender Moritz Volz is still struggling with a groin injury and will also be missing for the foreseeable future. There’s not much to smile about for Watford either and the Hornets will be missing Grzegorz Rasiak, Mart Poom and Gareth Williams who are all nursing serious injuries. Brendan Rodgers will also be without Jon Harley through suspension, meaning he has something of a selection headache coming into this one.
As for a prediction, we’re going to go for the draw. Both sides have lots of players missing and although both will be battling, we’re going to predict the 1-1 score line.
