Ipswich vs Maidstone prediction: ENGLAND: FA Cup betting tips on match 2024-01-26 12:30.
Ipswich can finally enjoy some much-needed respite from their Championship promotion push, after draws in five of their last seven games left them going tit-for-tat with Southampton for the automatic places. That run culminated in a 1-1 draw against league leaders Leicester, and having already dispatched lower league opponents Wimbledon 3-1 in the FA Cup, itâs hard to see how sixth-tier Maidstone lay a glove on the Tractor Boys.
Despite the seemingly astronomical gulf in class, you only have to look back as far as 2021/22 to find the last time Ipswich were eliminated from the FA Cup by lower-level opponents, a 2-0 defeat at the hands of League Twoâs Barrow. When playing non-league opponents in this competition since then, Kieran McKennaâs men have scored a stunning seven unanswered goals across their last two such matches.
Funnily enough, Barrow are one of the sides Maidstone have already eliminated on their stunning run to the fourth round. Led by the imposing former Wolves defender George Elokobi, Maidstone have channelled some of the Cameroonianâs steeliness to get this far for the first time ever in a run which includes victories over League Two and League One opponents, with Stevenage the latest to fall.
Completing the trifecta of EFL giant-killings requires the biggest push yet at the home of Premier League-chasing Ipswich, especially as Maidstone enter this clash on the back of consecutive 2-1 defeats in the National League South. Granted, the form book can often be disregarded in one-off games such as this, but it is difficult to look past Maidstoneâs porous backline which has conceded 17 goals across their last six away games (D1, L5).
Players to watch: Ipswichâs Jack Taylor scored late on to truly extinguish the âmagicâ of the FA Cup for Wimbledon in the third round and he faces Maidstone for the second time here after losing 2-0 against them with Barnet back in in 2018/19. The man to keep Maidstoneâs dreams burning brightly could well be Sam Corne, their tenacious midfielder who scored crucial goals in both of their famous FA Cup upsets so far this season.
Hot stat: Ipswich conceded before half-time in seven of their last nine competitive matches.