Ipswich vs Stoke prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2023-08-11 14:00.
Ipswich Town returned to the second tier of English football with a bang, becoming the fifth Championship side to win 2-1 on this season’s opening weekend with their victory against Sunderland. The Suffolk outfit picked up right where they left off when finishing runners-up in League One last season, stretching their unbeaten league run to 20 matches (W15, D5), the second-longest such streak in their history.
The Portman Road faithful now get their first taste of Championship football since 2018/19, and despite that hiatus, the home fans will have high hopes of their Tractor Boys given that they’re undefeated in their last 18 home games in all competitions (W14, D4). Scoring 54 goals and conceding only seven in that run underlines just how dominant they are on their own turf, something they’ll need to replicate here if they’re to earn their first win over opponents Stoke City in nine attempts (D4, L4).
Stoke meanwhile also got their league campaign off to a flyer, posting the division’s second-best result of gameweek one with their 4-1 triumph at home against Rotherham. Alex Neil’s men then followed up that impressive performance by progressing in the EFL Cup in midweek, securing another home victory over fellow Championship side West Bromwich Albion.
Should the Potters continue their momentum and pick up all three points here, they would achieve a feat not seen since 2007/08, and that’s win their opening two league fixtures of a campaign. Stoke will hope the similarities to that campaign don’t end there, as they actually went on to gain promotion to the Premier League that season, and having ended last season with only one defeat in their last seven away matches (W3, D3), a streak that resulted in them winning more Championship points on the road (35) than at home (27) in 2022/23, back-to-back season opening wins seems a realistic aim.
Players to watch: Ipswich’s Nathan Broadhead shone on the opening weekend with a goal and an assist, and a return to Portman Road should encourage him further since nine of his last 11 league goals have come at home. Meanwhile, André Vidigal is proving a clutch summer signing for Stoke, after scoring decisively in both their matches this season.
Hot streak: Ipswich have gone 11 seasons without losing their opening home league match (W6, D5).