Can Ipswich Cause Southampton Shock In Replay?

Premier League surprise packages Southampton travel to Championship high-flyers Ipswich tonight in a replay of the sides` FA Cup encounter.

The match at St. Marys ended 1-1 with both goals coming in the first half. Experienced midfielder Darren Ambrose put the visitors ahead with 20 minutes on the clock before Morgan Schneiderlin equalised just over ten minutes later. Success in tonight`s 19:55 kick-off will see the victors progress through to the fourth round of the competition where they will face Alan Pardew`s Crystal Palace at home.

There couldn`t be a better time for Ronald Koeman`s men to take on the Tractor Boys with the Portman Road outfit having suffered their first home defeat for ten games against league leaders Derby last time out.

Not one of Mick McCarthy`s men could find the back of the net with County`s Chris Martin grabbing the only goal of the game five minutes after the break. It was the first time Ipswich had failed to score in five games in all competitions and only the second time since the end of August.

Bwin have put a price of 6/4 on the Championship club going on a two game profligate streak by failing to net past tonight`s Premier League opposition. betway are offering 57/100 on McCarthy`s men hitting 0.5 or over past Fraser Forster in the Saints` goal.

The man with the best chance of causing Southampton a headache is 17-time goalscorer Daryl Murphy who has scored three in the last four matches. The 31-year-old striker is 27/10 (32red, 888sport, unibet) to get his name on the scoresheet at any time and 15/2 with a number of bookmakers to open tonight`s scoring. Having conceded only 15 goals, Southampton have the best defensive record in the Premier League, however, and the side will be looking to capitalise on the momentum gained from their slight 1-0 victory over Champions League rivals Manchester United.

Dusan Tadic slotted home a rebound after James Ward-Prowse`s effort cannoned off the post. This goal earned the Hampshire club their seventh away victory of the season and also capped a run of fine performances following a 2-0 win over Arsenal and a 1-1 draw with title favourites Chelsea.

Tadic grabbed the second goal against the Gunners with the first being provided by Sadio Mane, the Senegal international also opening the scoring against the Premier League leaders. Whilst both players have found themselves in fine fettle in front of goal, only Tadic will be available tonight with Mane joining up with his country for the African Cup of Nations. The former is 27/10 (32red, 888sport, Betvictor, unibet) to hit the back of the net at any time tonight.

These fine results have seen Southampton installed as the strong favourites for the match-up, despite their away disadvantage. Both boylesports and paddy Power have them as the 20/23 favourites whilst Ipswich can be backed at 15/4 with a number of bookies. Eleven to four (betfred, Betvictor, Totesport) says the match will be stalemate after 90 minutes.

Also unavailable as a result of international obligations is Maya Yoshida, who has been called away to represent Japan in the Asian Cup. With fellow centre-back Toby Alderweireld having been injured in the United clash, and expected to miss up to six games, Koeman only has two first-team centre-halves to choose from - Jose Fonte and Florin Gardos.

In more positive news for Saints` fans, midfielder Jack Cork could pull on a Southampton shirt for the first time since picking up an ankle injury. It isn`t only the visitors who may be short of a few key faces. A virus lurking at Town`s training ground has seen the participation of three players thrown into doubt. Neither Teddy Bishop, Cole Skuse nor Jay Tabb are anticipated to be present tonight after failing to recover in time.

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14/01/2015     © Frixo 2026