Tuesday night is set to be a cracker at St Mary’s. It’s a season-defining game in the championship promotion race.
Southampton are without a doubt the best team in the league at the moment. He was virtually unstoppable in 2026, pushing Manchester City all the way in the FA Cup semi-finals at the weekend.
Gatecrashing an automatic spot seemed unthinkable until recently, but a win against Ipswich on Tuesday night will move the Tractor Boys within a point heading into the final day of the season on Saturday lunchtime.
They could quite reasonably leave themselves wide open for Millwall and Middlesbrough.
Only victory is possible. It’s a draw and it’s a playoff.
Ipswich need three more points to guarantee promotion, whether on Tuesday night or at home to QPR on Saturday. But they are very adamant that they do not want that risk to continue until the last day.
A draw means nothing more than a loss.
“Both teams want to win and it’s clear neither team is looking for a draw,” Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna said before the game.
Tuesday, April 28th at 7pm
Kickoff at 7:45 PM
“I think we both know that if the game is tied in the last 10 minutes it won’t be a draw, of course a win is a dream scenario.
“But honestly, I don’t really put a lot of energy into thinking about how comforting that would be or what it would feel like.
“How we feel if we get the result we want this week, whether it’s Tuesday or Saturday, we’ll deal with it when it comes.”
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Southampton manager Tonda Eckert speaks to Sky Sports about the faith he has in his squad ahead of the match against Ipswich.
Southampton are a form side but Ipswich could benefit from a difficult 90 minutes in their FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday evening.
Fortunately for Southampton manager Thonda Eckert, the impressive depth of his squad leaves room for rotation.
“This is the peak of the season,” he said. sky sports. “We work all year to get to the big games in April and May, which speaks volumes that the team is ready and able to perform at this stage of the season.
“This is why you work. Everyone, the staff and the squad, wants to be in this position. The important thing is to accept the pressure, because it gives us energy and the players have shown that they can handle the big moments.”
Few things are bigger than a Tuesday night under the lights of St. Mary’s Cathedral.
Southampton will fly out of the trap – it will be a dazzling sight
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Jobi McAnuff looks at the ‘pivotal’ match between Southampton and Ipswich. Both sides are seeking automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Joby McAnuff on Sky Sports:
Once the fixture was relocated, everyone saw it and thought it could play an absolutely pivotal role. It was truly amazing, especially considering Southampton’s performance under Tonda Eckert.
Victory is the best because they have to win, and it has to make for a dazzling spectacle.
Eckert has effectively rotated key players during this strong run, and there will likely be some reorganization next game, with one or two players returning.
Southampton pushed Manchester City all the way at Wembley on Saturday.
They played at a really fast tempo and had some amazing performances going forward. Ross Stewart has been a huge help to them. They missed a decent number 9 early in the season. Cyle Larin also provides a good option, while Leo Scienza has had a fantastic season down the left flank. They pose a threat to every corner of the stadium.
Given their form and the fact that they need to win, there’s a good chance they’ll bounce out of the trap and actually go for it.
For Ipswich, it’s more of a ‘don’t lose’ case. If you lose, you will be under tremendous pressure until the final day.
Ipswich are still in the driving seat for promotion
They’re almost there. It just depends on their mindset.
This season hasn’t been fantastic. Sometimes they were a bit overwhelming. They have top-class Championship players in every position and more was expected after their derby win over Norwich. Lately I’ve been looking into ways to progress through the game, but I’m not that impressed.
It’s going to be a really tough night for them. How they approach the game will be key, and that’s what makes it so interesting.
Ipswich should be heavy favorites given their position, but it’s a big enough game that things could be very different by Wednesday morning.
A loss would have a huge psychological impact, giving Southampton a huge boost and putting Millwall firmly in the race, but for now Ipswich are still the choice.
game story
- Ipswich would win and be promoted to the Premier League thanks to a mathematically superior goal difference.
- Tractor Boys can secure their second automatic promotion spot with four points from their last two games.
- Southampton need to win their last two games and hope Ipswich, Millwall and Middlbesbrough fail to win on the final day to be promoted automatically.
- Southampton have won one of their last six meetings with Ipswich (D3 L2) and are unbeaten in their last three meetings.
- Southampton’s only win over Ipswich at St Mary’s came 19 years ago, when they won 1-0 in the Championship in February 2007.
- Southampton are unbeaten in their last 17 Championship games (13 wins, 4 draws). This is their longest unbeaten run in the Championship this season.
- Ipswich lost 2-0 to Portsmouth on April 14 in one of their last 13 Championship matches (W7 D5).
