Ipswich v Leicester Preview
Posted on | August 14, 2009 | No Comments
These two sides started with opposite fortunes, with Ipswich starting with a defeat while Leicester were victorious over Swansea on their opening weekend. Both teams managed to succeed in their Carling Cup games midweek although with Ipswich requiring extra time in their game, it’s not been the start that new manager Roy Keane would have hoped for.
When Ipswich announced Roy Keane as their new manager there were great expectations at Portman Road. Having masterminded an incredible promotion in his first season as manager of Sunderland, the Ipswich faithful were hoping that Keane would have a similar effect with their club. Bankrolled by a multi-millionaire chairman, all of the foundations are in place and Keane himself has stated he expects to reach the Premiership in two years. There have been wholesale changes to try and achieve this as well with the likes of Tamas Priskin, Colin Healy, Lee Martin and Damien Delaney all coming in while a host of fringe players have been shifted out. However, the season hasn’t exactly started on a high, with the Tractor Boys losing their first game away at Coventry and then being taken to extra time in the Carling Cup by Shrewsbury. Still, its early days and after the reputation Keane has already amassed in his short managerial career, you’d be a fool to now suggest that Ipswich won’t be challenging for the top places.
While Leicester have only just entered the division after their promotion, many pundits believe they’ve got more than enough quality to beat the drop. In fact, a lot think that the Foxes could even be challenging at the other end of the table. Already the signs seem good with Nigel Pearson’s men winning both of their opening two fixtures. They defeated Swansea 2-1 last Saturday and followed that up with a comfortable 2-0 victory over League Two side Macclesfield in the Carling Cup on Tuesday. The Walkers Stadium brought a host of established players during the summer and after this promising start to the season, already it looks as though the top half is the Foxes’ more likely destination.
Ipswich were dealt a huge blow this week with the news that midfielder David Norris would be out for four months with a knee injury. The situation worsens for Roy Keane for this game as well, with Ben Thatcher and Pablo Counago both out due to knee and groin injuries respectively. As for Leicester, Nigel Pearson will have the option of including Andy King and Aleksandar Tunchev who have both returned to the club after international duty. Elsewhere, having completed a suspension, Robbie Neilson could come straight back into the team at full back.
These two sides may have started the season in contrasting ways, but we have a feeling over Ipswich in this one. Roy Keane will not have been happy with their opening two games and will demand a response – 2-1 Tractor Boys.
Related posts:
- Ipswich v Leicester Preview
- Ipswich out to improve
- Middlesbrough v Ipswich Preview
- Ipswich v Swansea Preview
- Ipswich v Bristol City Preview
Comments
Leave a Reply