Two rebuilding sides arrive with different questions at Selhurst Park when Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town clash on Saturday.
Crystal Palace finally turned pressure into points at Fulham last weekend, recovering for a 3-2 win after a difficult star to the 2026/27 Premier League campaign. Meanwhile, Ipswich Town have had the opposite recent experience. After beating Sunderland in Gameweek 1, they lost 5-2 to Manchester United and then 2-0 to Liverpool.
This is a meaningful early-season meeting, as it asks whether Palace can build consistency and whether Ipswich can rebuild after the two big defeats to Manchester United and Liverpool. For Palace, winning would mark the Fulham comeback the beginning of a steadier run; losing would leave Pierre Sage still trying to correct a defence that has conceded at least two goals in nine successive Premier League matches.
The hosts are still integrating a heavily changed squad after eleven summer arrivals, so the value of this game lies in showing that the new group can protect a lead as well as produce one. Sage has asked for togetherness after Palace looked too open and poorly coordinated against Fulham, and that defensive improvement is the immediate test.
Meanwhile, Ipswich need an answer to the two aforementioned defeats, but a draw remains useful rather than disastrous. A win would be a much-needed boost for Gary O’Neil’s side, though they cannot afford to be expansive in that endeavour.
The visitors carry belief that they can compete, even after facing three opponents who qualified for European competition in their opening sequence. Their task is to make the Sunderland win look like a foundation, not an isolated start.
Crystal Palace are without Ismaila Sarr, Jean-Philippe Mateta, and Chadi Riad. Sarr is expected back in first-team training the following Monday, but Mateta is ruled out by a hamstring injury, while Riad is recovering from knee surgery.
The home side should retain the 3-4-2-1 that Pierre Sage has preferred in their three Premier League matches so far. Dean Henderson will feature in goal behind Axel Disasi, Chris Richards, and Jaydee Canvot, while Tyrick Mitchell and Anan Khalaili provide the width as the wing-backs.
Mitchell is one of the more important calls in the side, having also received backing in our FPL tips. He has scored twice, supplied four key passes, and created one big chance so far, while also carrying Palace’s strongest recent rating at 7.16. Meanwhile, Khalaili has provided two key passes and is nailed on as the right wing-back, though wide duo will have to advance without leaving the three centre-backs exposed.
Adam Wharton and Quinten Timber form the central platform, with Daichi Kamada and Dario Osorio operating behind Jorgen Strand Larsen. Wharton has started every Premier League match, made four key passes, and created two big chances, making him the main route through midfield.
Timber has added one assist, four key passes, and two big chances created in only one top-flight outing, while Strand Larsen has registered one assist, four shots on target from four attempts and three big chances created. That gives Palace a forward line capable of connecting play even with Mateta absent, but it also places more responsibility on the two attacking midfielders to support the striker.
Probable Crystal Palace Lineup (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Canvot, Disasi, Richards; Khalaili, Wharton, Timber, Mitchell; Osorio, Kamada; Strand Larsen
Probable Ipswich Town Lineup (4-2-3-1): Scherpen; O’Shea, Diop, Greaves, Davis; Lukic, Palacios; Fatawu, Enciso, Maeda; Emersonn
For Ipswich Town, Jack Taylor, Cedric Kipre, Azor Matusiwa, Kasey McAteer, and Jaden Philogene are unavailable. However, Philogene has resumed full training and Matusiwa is also back in full training. The absences leave the visitors relying on the established wide pairing of Daizen Maeda and Abdul Fatawu Issahaku rather than reshaping the 4-2-3-1 around a returning player.
Ipswich are expected to retain the settled 4-2-3-1 shape, with Kjell Scherpen behind Dara O’Shea, Issa Diop, Jacob Greaves, and Leif Davis. As for the midfield unit, Sasa Lukic and Exequiel Palacios will sit in the double pivot, while Daizen Maeda, Julio Enciso, and Abdul Fatawu Issahaku support Emersonn.
Davis has scored once and supplied three key passes, while Issahaku has produced seven key passes, three big chances created and one assist. Enciso is the central link, with two assists, four key passes, and two big chances created. Emersonn gives him a target ahead, having scored once and put two of four shots on target. Maeda keeps his place despite a quieter return, with two shots on target from three attempts.
Crystal Palace’s 3-4-2-1 is designed to put two attacking midfielders close to Jorgen Strand Larsen while preserving three defenders behind the advancing wing-backs. At home, they should carry the game forward, but their recent football has not been built around controlling possession.
On the other hand, Ipswich Town’s 4-2-3-1 offers a different balance. The double pivot protects the centre, Julio Enciso can receive between the lines, and the wide players remain available when the visitors need an escape route. The Tractor Boys should compete for the win while keeping the draw alive rather than opening the match at any cost.
The profiles point to two sides that are both comfortable without sustained control, though Ipswich have held more of the ball. Palace’s share is 35% and Ipswich’s is 40%, against a league-typical 44% after the first three rounds of fixture. Meanwhile, neither side utilises long balls as much as the average count in the league.
The home side are therefore unlikely to dominate through long spells of possession, while Ipswich are not simply trying to bypass midfield at every opportunity. The game should instead be decided by which team can use its shape after the first pass breaks the opposing block.
Palace’s main structural danger is the distance between their attacking intent and their defensive protection. Their recent output has been worth 1.15 expected goals per match, but the same run has also produced 2.35 expected goals against per match. If Adam Wharton and the two players ahead of him connect cleanly, the Eagles can attack with numbers while leaving the back three behind the ball.
If the central link is broken, the wing-backs may be caught high and Ipswich can direct the next phase toward the spaces beside the outside centre-backs. The central duel is Adam Wharton against Julio Enciso.
Wharton must give Palace a clean route beyond the first line, while Enciso needs to receive between the back three and the double pivot without allowing the hosts to settle into a long attacking spell. Wharton’s recent level gives the home side the more convincing platform, but Enciso’s positioning can force the home side to retreat if he finds space early.
If Wharton wins that exchange, Ipswich may have to defend deeper than their plan intends; if Enciso wins it, Palace’s forward posture loses its base and becomes a defensive exercise. Behind the losing party sits a whole midfield structure. The Englishman has only the back three behind him when Palace push, while Enciso depends on Sasa Lukic and Exequiel Palacios to keep the central lane protected.
The other important contest is on Crystal Palace’s left, where Tyrick Mitchell’s forward runs meet Abdul Fatawu Issahaku’s right-sided outlet. The Englishman’s aggression can pin the Ipswich wide player back and help the South Londoners stretch the visitors around the double pivot.
Issahaku escaping that pressure would give Ipswich the release pass they need to keep their compact response intact, forcing Palace’s back three to cover more ground. It is not a separate version of the central battle; it determines whether either midfield wins the time and territory that the central battle requires.
We are leaning towards a draw, but only with low confidence. Crystal Palace’s ambition meets an Ipswich Town structure that does not need to chase the match from the opening whistle. Neither side has shown enough defensive control to remain comfortable. The key separator is not possession; it is whether Palace can turn their attacking numbers into chances without exposing the spaces Ipswich’s wide outlets are built to attack.
The strongest case against the draw is a Crystal Palace defensive collapse. Their expected-goals-against tally of 2.35 per match, compared with 1.98 for Ipswich, is the difference that gives the visitors a realistic route to winning if Julio Enciso can receive cleanly and Emersonn occupy the centre-backs.
The Eagles have also scored four and conceded eight in their opening three, with Ipswich matching both totals. So, a game with chances at both ends appears to be on the cards. The opposing case is not that Ipswich will dominate; it is that their compact shape may punish Palace each time the home wing-backs advance without enough cover. The scoreline band settles around 1-1, with 2-2 and 1-2 also live.
The late variable is how the home side uses the other attacking-midfield slot alongside Daichi Kamada. Crystal Palace’s structure needs both players to stay close enough to Jorgen Strand Larsen to sustain their attacks, but also disciplined enough to protect Adam Wharton when the wing-backs move forward.
If that connection is clean, the hosts can make their chosen shape look deliberate rather than improvised. If it is not, Ipswich Town’s double pivot should keep the match in the narrow range suggested by the prediction.
