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Ipswich Town look to be back to their very best, and Kieran McKenna will rightly be excited for this weekend’s clash with Blackburn Rovers.
It had not been the easiest of opening months in the Championship for the Tractor Boys, and had it not been for a 106th minute Jack Clarke penalty against Derby County, they would have found themselves in 21st place heading into the international break.
Nevertheless, a brutal 5-0 victory over Sheffield United last Friday saw the Suffolk outfit prove their worth in the division and they will be full of confidence heading into Saturday’s game against Blackburn.
EFL Analysis has predicted an Ipswich win at Ewood Park, and recent history is on the side of McKenna and his players in this fixture.
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Ipswich Town and Kieran McKenna have got the better of Blackburn Rovers throughout history
This is the 58th meeting between the two clubs, with their first ever game coming in 1954. It was Rovers who won that clash, defeating the Tractor Boys 4-1.
However, McKenna has faced Blackburn twice in his career with Ipswich so far, beating the Lancashire side on both occasions, 4-3 at home and 1-0 away.
The Portman Road tenants have picked up 22 wins against Rovers since that first meeting, drawing 18 times and losing 17.
Blackburn last beat Ipswich in 2019, but that remains their only win in this particular fixture since 2015.
Kieran McKenna proved that possession is not everything vs Blackburn Rovers in 2023
Valerien Ismael has had a mixed start to life at Ewood Park since taking charge back in February, and so far, possession-based football has not exactly been his gameplan.
However, under Jon Dahl Tomasson, Blackburn did dominate the ball against Ipswich at Portman Road. Yet, the home side were able to create chance after chance against a wide open Rovers defence, and this proved to be their downfall.
| Stat | Ipswich Town | Blackburn Rovers |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on target) | 29 (11) | 10 (5) |
| Possession | 40% | 60% |
| Corners | 10 | 5 |
| Fouls | 10 | 13 |
| Offsides | 0 | 4 |
| Shots saved | 3 | 7 |
| Yellow cards | 3 | 4 |
McKenna’s sides have always been built off purely outscoring their opponents, and they had 29 shots compared to Blackburn’s 10 on that occasion.
With Ipswich looking back to their best in the second-half against Sheffield United, the confidence that the forward line has will be extremely high and this will be a huge threat to Rovers.