Arsenal vs Ipswich prediction, betting tips and odds: Home defence should shine in Saka's absence

Paddy Power's latest welcome offer means new customers can get 30-1 on Arsenal to win against Ipswich in Friday's Premier League clash at the Emirates Stadium.

Enhanced winnings will be paid in free bets so click here to claim that offer with Paddy Power or read on for our Arsenal vs Ipswich predictions.

Where to watch Arsenal vs Ipswich

You can watch Arsenal vs Ipswich in the Premier League at 8.15pm on Friday, December 27, live on Amazon Prime Video

Match prediction & best bet

Arsenal to win to nil
3pts 4-5 Hills

Enhanced Offer

4/5

NEW CUSTOMER OFFER

30/1 Arsenal to win Vs Ipswich

NEW CUSTOMER OFFER

• Enhanced odds paid in free bets

CLAIM OFFER

Tap for more details. 18+ T&Cs apply

• Detailed stats available for horse racing and football
• Early payout if your football team goes two goals ahead

New customer offer. Max stake £1. Winnings paid in cash at normal odds and are topped up to the enhanced price in Free Bets. Free bets are valid 7 days, only deposits with cards and Apple Pay are eligible. Excludes multiples & in-play bets. T&C's apply. Please gamble responsibly.

New customers can get 30-1 on Arsenal to win with Paddy Power

Arsenal vs Ipswich odds

Here are the latest odds ahead of Arsenal vs Ipswich in the Premier League on Friday, December 27

Odds correct at time of publishing

Want more top football betting advice? Make sure you take a look at Racing Post Sport's tips for more of the latest picks from our experts.

Arsenal vs Ipswich predictions

Arsenal produced an accomplished performance in a 5-1 Premier League win at Crystal Palace last time out but the Selhurst Park triumph was marred by an injury to Bukayo Saka.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta expects his star winger to be sidelined for "many weeks" with a hamstring problem and Saka has contributed five goals and ten assists in 16 league appearances this season.

The England international's influence is enormous. He is Arsenal's biggest threat from open play, both scoring and creating goals, and his outstanding delivery of corners and free-kicks is crucial to their set-piece success.

Saka's absence is bound to affect the Gunners' attacking fluency so they need to rediscover their best form defensively if they are to keep up the pressure on Liverpool and Chelsea.

A home fixture against Ipswich looks a good opportunity for a victory and a clean sheet as the Tractor Boys have been beaten to nil in three of their last five matches.

They suffered back-to-back 1-0 defeats against Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace and were outclassed in a 4-0 home loss to Newcastle just before Christmas.

Striker Liam Delap is available after suspension but influential captain Sam Morsy is banned and it is hard to see Ipswich gaining a foothold against a powerful Arsenal midfield.

Arteta's options include Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Thomas Partey and brilliant youngster Ethan Nwaneri as well as European Championship-winning midfielders Jorginho and Mikel Merino.

Whichever trio the Gunners boss selects is likely to control the game against Ipswich and recent league visitors to the Emirates Stadium have struggled to create chances.

Arsenal have given up only two shots on target in their last three home league fixtures - a 3-0 win over highflying Forest, a 2-0 victory against Manchester United and a 0-0 draw with Everton.

They have beaten Paris St-Germain, Shakhtar Donetsk and Monaco to nil in their three Champions League home games and in-form Fulham mustered only two attempts at goal against the Gunners in this month's 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage.

Ipswich's two wins since returning to the top flight both came away from home as they upset Tottenham 2-1 in north London last month and beat Wolves by the same scoreline in Gary O'Neil final fixture in charge of Wanderers.

Town's victory at Molineux was sealed by a Matt Doherty own goal and a 93rd-minute strike from substitute Jack Taylor but breaching Arsenal's impressive defence looks a far tougher task.

Key stat

Arsenal have kept clean sheets in four of their last five home matches

Arsenal vs Ipswich team news

Arsenal
Bukayo Saka (hamstring) and Raheem Sterling (knee) have joined defenders Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu on the sidelines. Oleksandr Zinchenko is available and Declan Rice should return to the starting line-up.

Ipswich
Kalvin Phillips is expected to replace suspended skipper Sam Morsy in midfield. Striker Liam Delap is back from a ban but George Hirst, Chiedozie Ogbene, Janoi Donacien and Axel Tuanzebe are injured.

Probable teams

Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Rice, Merino; Jesus, Havertz, Martinelli
Subs: Partey, Trossard, Zinchenko, Nwaneri, Lewis-Skelly, Jorginho, Kiwior

Ipswich (4-2-3-1): Muric; Johnson, O'Shea, Greaves, Davis; Cajuste, Phillips; Hutchinson, Szmodics, J Clarke; Delap
Subs: Burgess, Burns, Chaplin, Broadhead, Taylor, Al-Hamadi, Townsend

Enhanced Offer

4/5

NEW CUSTOMER OFFER

30/1 Arsenal to win Vs Ipswich

NEW CUSTOMER OFFER

• Enhanced odds paid in free bets

CLAIM OFFER

Tap for more details. 18+ T&Cs apply

• Detailed stats available for horse racing and football
• Early payout if your football team goes two goals ahead

New customer offer. Max stake £1. Winnings paid in cash at normal odds and are topped up to the enhanced price in Free Bets. Free bets are valid 7 days, only deposits with cards and Apple Pay are eligible. Excludes multiples & in-play bets. T&C's apply. Please gamble responsibly.

Click here to claim Paddy Power's welcome offer of 30-1 on Arsenal to win against Ipswich

Inside info

Arsenal

Star man Martin Odegaard
Top scorer Kai Havertz
Penalty taker Martin Odegaard
Card magnet Jurrien Timber
Assist ace Martin Odegaard
Set-piece aerial threat Gabriel

Ipswich

Star man Liam Delap
Top scorer Liam Delap
Penalty taker Omari Hutchinson
Card magnet Liam Delap
Assist ace Leif Davis
Set-piece aerial threat Jacob Greaves

Arsenal vs Ipswich bet builder predictions

Under 3.5 goals
Arsenal enjoyed two high-scoring wins over Crystal Palace last week but four of their last five home games had under 3.5 goals

Kai Havertz to score at any time
The Gunners' top scorer found the net at Selhurst Park last time out and has scored in seven of his 11 home games this term

Kalvin Phillips to be shown a card
With Sam Morsy suspended, Ipswich's Phillips is set to play the midfield-enforcer role and he was sent off against Leicester on his last Premier League start

Pays out at 12-1 with Paddy Power

Read more ...

Brighton vs Brentford prediction, betting tips and odds: Exciting encounter expected on the south coast 

Football accumulator tips for Friday December 27: Back our 6-1 acca with Ladbrokes 

Click for free bets and betting offers from the Racing Post

Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing and sports betting.