Southampton v Ipswich Town: promotion push meets play-off charge at St Mary's | OneFootball

Southampton host Ipswich Town in the Championship at St Mary's on Tuesday, 28 April 2026, with the visitors protecting an automatic promotion place and the hosts looking to sharpen their play-off seeding.

Southampton meet Ipswich Town with fifth facing second in the table. Recent meetings have been tight: the Tractor Boys won two of the last five, with two draws and one for the Saints.

Saints arrive unbeaten in their past four league matches after wins over Derby, Blackburn and Swansea and a draw with Bristol City. The Tractor Boys have lost once in five, taking a derby win at Norwich, a point at West Brom and edging past Charlton away.

The Saints are without Alex McCarthy, Jack Stephens, Mads Roerslev and Welington, while Flynn Downes is suspended. For the Tractor Boys, Ashley Young, goalkeeper David Button, Conor Townsend and Leif Davis are sidelined.

Saints average 1.8 goals per game and 57% possession with 84.19% passing accuracy, and their 594 open-play crosses plus 16 headed goals suggest a wide threat. The Tractor Boys have 16 clean sheets and concede one per game. Jack Clarke leads their league scoring with 15, with Jaden Philogene and George Hirst on 11 and 10. For the hosts, Finn Azaz and Adam Armstrong have 11 apiece, and Léo Scienza has 10 assists. The wide battle could shape the match, with crosses testing the Tractor Boys' aerial strength.

A home win would take the Saints to 79 points and could draw them level with fourth placed Middlesbrough on points, reinforcing their play-off position. Three points for the Tractor Boys would lift them to 83 and strengthen their grip on automatic promotion.