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Ipswich Town host Liverpool at Portman Road on Friday in a Premier League clash between two teams still searching for momentum this season, with Gary O’Neil’s side in 12th place and Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool, still without a win, down in 13th.

There is an added subplot on the touchline. Iraola succeeded O’Neil as Bournemouth head coach in June 2023, and the two managers will now face each other from opposite technical areas for the first time as Premier League bosses of different clubs.

O’Neil was appointed permanently at Portman Road in June this year, replacing Kieran McKenna, who left after leading Ipswich back into the top flight. Iraola, meanwhile, took over at Anfield in the summer after Arne Slot departed, following three seasons in charge of Bournemouth.

Both managers have made uneven starts in their latest jobs. O’Neil’s team opened with a win over Sunderland before suffering a heavy 5-2 defeat to Manchester United, while Iraola has seen Liverpool draw 2-2 in successive matches against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.

Liverpool did eventually secure a headline signing before the transfer deadline, with £123m recruit Bradley Barcola in line to make his first appearance from the bench.

Date: Friday, 4 September 2026 Kick-off: 20:00 BST Venue: Portman Road Referee: Darren England Last meeting: Liverpool 4-1 Ipswich Town (Premier League, 25 January 2025)

Azor Matusiwa, Jack Taylor and Jaden Philogene remain unavailable for Ipswich. However, Gary O’Neil said this week that Emersonn has recovered from the knee problem that forced him off against Manchester United and is fit to return. Florentino Luis is also back in contention after recovering from a calf issue. Deadline-day arrival Zian Flemming may be involved following his £20m switch from Burnley, with O’Neil considering either using Julio Enciso as a false nine or opting for a more direct setup with two forwards.

Liverpool are still without Joe Gomez, Conor Bradley, Federico Chiesa, Hugo Ekitike and Giovanni Leoni because of injury. New arrival Bradley Barcola completed full training this week after joining from Paris Saint-Germain and is available, although Andoni Iraola indicated he is unlikely to start because he has not had enough pre-season minutes. Dominik Szoboszlai also demonstrated his adaptability by filling in at right-back late on against Nottingham Forest.

Ipswich’s comeback season in the Premier League has already delivered lively but mistake-filled matches. Jack Clarke’s injury-time winner sealed a 2-1 victory over Sunderland on the opening weekend, before a significantly altered defence fell apart at Old Trafford, where Bruno Fernandes scored a hat-trick and a Jacob Greaves own goal also helped send Ipswich to a 5-2 loss. Even so, O’Neil’s side go into Friday having won six of their last seven matches in all competitions, a run that includes a 3-1 EFL Cup victory over Leicester City.

Liverpool travel to Suffolk aiming to halt a winless streak that goes back to April, after collecting only two points from their first two league games this season. Iraola’s team have drawn 2-2 with both Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest, with the standout moment being Victor Munoz’s stoppage-time equaliser against Forest on his first competitive start. Liverpool have not kept a clean sheet yet this season.

Ipswich Town predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Scherpen; O’Shea, Diop, Greaves, Davis; Nunez, Lukic; Fatawu, Enciso, Maeda; Emersonn

Liverpool predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Frimpong, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Gakpo, Wirtz, Munoz; Isak

The game will be shown live in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports Main Event, with coverage beginning at 7pm BST before the 8pm kick-off.