• 1
  Four games into their return to the Premier League, both these sides sit in that early-season no-man's-land — mid-table, three points each, still working out how hard this level really is. For Ipswich, every point now is one further from the relegation fight nobody wants to be dragged back into after two opening defeats either side of a trip to Anfield. For Palace, it's about building belief in new head coach Pierre Sage quickly, having shipped four at Manchester City before somehow coming from behind twice to beat Fulham. Nothing table-defining yet, but this is the kind of week a losing run starts to feel like a habit.
• 2
  Selhurst Park has rarely been kind to Ipswich over the years — Palace have won 17 of the 43 meetings between these two to Ipswich's 11, and the Tractor Boys have lost the last five in a row against them. That losing run actually stretches back through Ipswich's previous spell in the top flight, so this is a proper hoodoo rather than a blip. They'll fancy today as the day to finally break it, on their first visit to Selhurst Park since coming back up.
• 3
  Keep an eye on Tyrick Mitchell — yes, the left wing-back. With Palace's senior strikers both sidelined, it was Mitchell who bailed his side out against Fulham, scoring either side of half-time to drag them level twice, before substitute Ben Chilwell got in on the act with a goal on his very first touch. When a team's goals start arriving from the full-back areas, it usually means something's not quite right up front — for Palace right now, somehow, it's working anyway.
• 4
  Pierre Sage arrived over the summer from French side Lens and got his first Premier League win away at Fulham — now he wants one in front of his own crowd. The catch is he'll do it without Jean-Philippe Mateta (thigh) and Ismaila Sarr (groin), which accounts for essentially all of Palace's first-choice attacking options. Ipswich have their own injury list to deal with too, missing Jaden Philogene-Bidace, Azor Matusiwa and Jack Taylor, so this one may come down to whoever has more bodies left standing rather than who looks better on paper.
• 5
  Here's a number worth knowing before kick-off: Ipswich haven't kept a clean sheet in 22 straight top-flight games, conceding at well over two goals a match across that stretch — the longest such run in the club's history. It's not the kind of record anyone at Portman Road wants to discuss, which is exactly why it's worth bringing up. If Palace's makeshift forward line — wing-backs and all — finds a way through today, nobody should be remotely surprised.

• 1
  Crystal Palace said goodbye to Oliver Glasner this summer, the manager who delivered the best run in the club's history — an FA Cup win, then a Conference League title in his very last game in charge. An almost impossible act to follow.
• 2
  In stepped Pierre Sage from French side Lens, who'd just been named Ligue 1's Manager of the Season. It's been a bumpy start, though — Palace lost his first two games in charge, at Everton and at home to Manchester City.
• 3
  The bigger worry is defensive: Palace have now conceded two or more goals in nine straight league games, an unwanted club record. Bring that up carefully — Palace fans know it already, and they're hoping it's a blip rather than a trend.
• 4
  There are signs of it settling down — a first clean sheet of the season came against Middlesbrough, and Palace went into their next game against Ipswich chasing back-to-back league wins for the first time since December. Small steps, but steps.
• 5
  Palace also sold centre-back Maxence Lacroix to Chelsea for around £52m and used some of that money to bring in Wolves striker Jørgen Strand Larsen. A reminder that Palace's transfer business has got a lot more serious since those two trophies.

• 1
  Ipswich are back in the Premier League for the first time since being relegated in 2024–25, having won automatic promotion straight back from the Championship. This is their second crack at top-flight football in three seasons.
• 2
  The step back up has been tough early on — a heavy 5-2 defeat to Manchester United and a home loss to Liverpool have made for a bruising return to the division. Nothing that suggests panic yet, but a reminder of the gap in quality at this level.
• 3
  New manager Gary O'Neil took over in the summer, tasked with keeping Ipswich in the Premier League a bit more securely than last time round. It's early days, but the brief is clear: consolidate, don't just survive on adrenaline.
• 4
  Every promoted club goes through a version of this rocky opening spell — it's less about the scorelines in August and September and more about whether the performances suggest survival is realistic. That's a far more useful thing to say than just reading off the results.
• 5
  Ipswich fans have been through relegation before and know exactly how quickly the mood can shift either way. Treat any early setbacks as part of the process, not a verdict on the season.