Ipswich Town v Plymouth Argyle
Championship | Portman Road
Saturday, 28 October 2023 @ 3.00pm
Saturday's match between Ipswich Town and Plymouth Argyle promises to be one for the neutrals, as two of the Championship's most free-scoring sides go head-to-head.
Ahead of the game at Portman Road, the Blues and the Pilgrims sit second and joint-fourth in the goal-scoring charts, with 26 and 21 goals respectively.
Striker Nathan Broadhead leads the way for the home side, having bagged six goals in their 12 games to date.
And Ryan Hardie has been the main man in the opponents' penalty box for Plymouth, with six goals.
Ipswich are second in the table after 12 games, of which they have won 10 and drawn one, earning 31 points.
Plymouth are 16 places behind Town in 18th, with four wins and three draws putting them on 15 points.
In Václav Hladký, the Blues can rely on one of the league's safest pair of hands. He has kept six clean sheets in his 12 appearances this season, and no 'keeper has prevented the opposition scoring more often in the Championship.
In Argyle's net, Conor Hazard has two clean sheets in 11 games. He has conceded a goal every 66 minutes, 30% more often than the 83 minutes between goals for Hladký.
The home side are in fantastic form in the Championship, with five wins and a draw from their last six games.
With two wins and two draws over that period, the Pilgrims's form is much worse – they have taken eight points from 18, compared to Ipswich's 16.
In the last 10 years, Ipswich and Plymouth have played each other on six occasions. Ipswich won three of them, Plymouth two, and they drew once.
On average, the Blues scored 1.2 goals and the Pilgrims 1.0 in those matches.
Their last meeting was on January 14, when they played out a 1-1 draw.
Ipswich's last match was on Wednesday, a 1-0 win against Bristol City, with Broadhead getting the goal for the Blues.
Plymouth beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 last time out, also on Wednesday, with Hardie, Morgan Whittaker and Mustapha Bundu on the scoresheet.
Saturday's match will be refereed by Gavin Ward, who has taken charge of eight Championship games so far this season, issuing no red cards and booking 31 players. He has not awarded any penalties.
The last Ipswich game Ward refereed was a 3-2 home win against Cardiff City on September 2. His last Plymouth match was their 2-1 loss away at Preston North End on September 16.