Preview: Ipswich Town vs. Burton Albion - prediction, team news, lineups

Ipswich Town will continue their unlikely push for a playoff berth when they welcome mid-table Burton Albion to Portman Road on Saturday afternoon.

Having enjoyed a change of fortunes under new boss Kieran McKenna, the Tractor Boys are looking to bridge the gap between themselves and the top six.

Match preview

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Lagging as low as 18th earlier in the campaign, it had looked as if Ipswich were destined for another season of mediocrity in League One, before McKenna arrived and transformed their performances.

Up to ninth in the table, Ipswich sit just five points off the playoffs, whilst boasting some of the best recent form in the division.

Only top-two pair Rotherham United and Wigan Athletic have collected more points across their last 10 outings than Ipswich, who are chasing their fifth win in eight league matches on Saturday.

Ironically, it has been their away form that has impressed the most this season, yet Ipswich are in the middle of a six-game league unbeaten run at Portman Road.

Looking to be the first team since Rotherham in mid-November to take three points away to Ipswich, Burton travel to Suffolk eyeing up a surprise victory.

Whilst there may not be any playoff push for the Brewers this season, they can look forward to another campaign in the division with sterling work from Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink seeing Burton establish themselves in mid-table.

One way to continue a strong campaign for Burton would be to collect their first ever league double against Ipswich, having never beaten the Tractor Boys twice in the same season.

Winners when the pair met earlier in the campaign, Burton will be hoping to back up their 2-1 triumph with another stellar result here.

Team News

Few players in the division have enjoyed their football as much as Macauley Bonne, who has netted an impressive 12 goals in 31 games so far this season.

Coming off the bench in Ipswich's last fixture, expect the forward to start this weekend, with one of Kayden Jackson or Conor Chaplin alongside him.

Creativity will come in the form of Bersant Celina, while at the opposite end of the pitch, Christian Walton should be targeting back-to-back clean sheets.

An unlikely scorer of a brace in midweek, John Brayford's double helped Burton to a 3-1 win over Bolton Wanderers, and the defender will retain his position in the back three, alongside duo Samuel Joseph Hughes and Conor Shaughnessy.

Just behind them, Ben Garratt will keep goal for the Brewers, as he targets a first clean sheet since mid-November – a run of games stretching across Burton's last 12 fixtures.

Burton will be hoping that a strike partnership of Gassan Ahadme and Christian Saydee are on fine form, against a tough-to-break-down Ipswich backline.

Ipswich Town possible starting lineup:
Walton; Donacien, Woolfenden, Edmundson; Burns, Morsy, Bakinson, Thompson; Celina, Chaplin, Jackson

Burton Albion possible starting lineup:
Garratt; Hughes, Brayford, Shaughnessy; Hamer, Mancienne, Powell, Kokolo; Gilligan, Saydee, Ahadme

We say: Ipswich Town 3-1 Burton Albion

Burton have done well to stabilise themselves in League One this season, given the situation the club was facing when Hasselbaink arrived last season.

However, Ipswich are a well oiled machine at the moment and should be good money for three points on Saturday.

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