East Anglian Daily Times

Rupert Grint, best known for his role as Ron Weasley in the fantasy film series, was seen watching on as Spurs beat the Tractor Boys 4-1 on Saturday.

The 36-year-old actor was seen in the stands with Suffolk superstar Ed Sheeran, who supports and sponsors the Blues.

In 2011 Grint featured in the music video for Sheeran's song Lego House.

After the game, Grint met with Spurs and England footballer James Maddison.

In a video posted to Instagram, Grint tells Maddison: “I’m starstruck, how are you doing?”

To which Maddison, 28, replied: “I’m the starstruck one here, honestly I’m such a big Harry Potter fan, what did I say to you, I’m going to be the one who’s starstruck here.”

Showing Grint his Harry Potter tattoos, the midfielder continued: “There’s a few on there, one of the platform and Harry’s scar, that shows you how much of a fanboy I am.”

Town started very much on the front front in Suffolk, with juggernaut striker Liam Delap giving youngster Gray, playing out of position in the centre of defence, a torrid time.

But they got on top with a quickfire double from Brennan Johnson, after superstar Son Heung-Min got the better of the Town defence.

And though the Blues got a goal back through Omari Hutchinson, Spurs pulled away in the second half to record what ended up looking like a comfortable win.

Speaking after the game, Postecoglu said: “We had to work hard today, we knew we’d have to work hard. Ipswich are one of the hardest-working teams in the league.

“At home they’re fighting for every point. I thought they started the game very well, the first five minutes with the energy in the stadium.

“But I thought we did the hard things really well. A couple of times in the first half we lost a bit of concentration and some of our second ball and duels and (it was) a disappointing goal that we conceded.

“But aside from that I thought we handled that side of the game really well, which you have to, but I always felt we were a threat when we had the ball.

“Sonny (Heung-Min) was unplayable in the first half, and so good to get Brennan back, in those areas where he’s always a threat. I think all four of our goals were quality goals.

“So we had to work hard for it, but the fruits of our labour was that our front third play was super – exciting and clinical.”

Of Gray, he enthused: “We know he’s playing out of position, and Delap’s a handful for anybody in this league. That first few minutes he caused him some problems.

“But I love that Archie takes on that challenge – he doesn’t shy away from it, he doesn’t hide, he just keeps going.

“We’ll get enormous growth out of him from this period, but right now he’s contributing and helping us.

“We had to do some defensive work today, not a lot, but the defensive work we had to do was important, against a real top striker, and I thought he handled it well.”

BIG EARLY CHANCES

Kieran McKenna spoke in the build-up about how it was important his side started with intensity in this game. They certainly did that. Liam Delap could have had a hat-trick inside six minutes.

With 20-odd seconds on the clock, Jens Cajuste's smooth turn, drive and pass set the 10-goal front man racing down the left side of the box. His stinging shot was beaten away keeper Guglielmo Vicario and Jaden Philogene's follow-up effort hit team-mate Omari Hutchinson on the line. The offside flag may have been raised, but so had the decibel levels inside Portman Road.

Less than minute later, Delap, who was looking too quick and strong for young centre-back Archie Gray, charged into a very similar position following Leif Davis' arrowed throw-in up the line. This time, Town's talisman dragged his shot across the face of goal.

Not long afterwards, Delap met Kalvin Phillips' whipped dead ball from the right with a fine glancing header. The ball looked like it was looping into the far top corner before coming back off the angle of bar and post.

Would the Blues be left to rue those missed opportunities? We soon got our answer.

GODFREY OFF THE PACE

Kieran McKenna had two options to replace the suspended Axel Tuanzebe at right-back - Ben Johnson or Ben Godfrey. Hindsight's a wonderful thing, but he picked the wrong one. Rusty full-back against world class winger proved a recipe for disaster.

Godfrey's a two-cap England international with a decent amount of Premier League experience, but he barely kicked a ball for Atalanta during the first half of the season. As a result, he'd looked off the pace in his first two starts for the Blues. Several goals came down his side in the 6-0 home defeat to Man City, while Coventry got plenty of joy in that area of the field during the first half of an FA Cup tie. His struggles continued in this game.

In the fourth minute, overlapping left-back Destiny Udogie latched onto a Son Heung-min ball up the line and forced Alex Palmer to save bravely at his feet. In the 13th minute, Son blazed past Ben Godfrey to create an opening for Lucas Bergvall. In the 15th minute, Son set Udogie away again down that side. The warning signs weren't heeded though.

Tottenham's 18th minute opener came after Gray intercepted a Phillips pass into Delap and sent a raking forward ball into the channel. Son got in behind Godfrey and drilled in a low cross for Johnson to stab in from close range.

Their second goal, scored in the 26th minute, was a virtual carbon copy. This time Rodrigo Bentancur was given too much space in midfield to work the ball wide, Son raced in behind the flat-footed Godfrey once more and cut the ball back for Johnson to side-foot home.

Moments later, Son squared up his marker again, darted past him again, and saw an angled shot kept out by Palmer at the near post to collective murmurings from the crowd.

McKenna hooked Godfrey at the break, replaced him with Luke Woolfenden and shifted Dara O'Shea out to right-back. It's hard to see the 27-year-old featuring much more more between now and the end of the season. What the club saw as an opportunistic mid-season signing has ended up looking like an unnecessary one.

TWO MORE INJURY BLOWS

There's been much debate recently about what Ipswich's best midfield pairing is.

For me, Jens Cajuste is the best of the bunch and I felt it was time for an extended look at him alongside Kalvin Phillips.

For the second weekend running, we got to see that duo in action as fit-again skipper Sam Morsy had to make do with a place on the bench.

Cajuste produced some of his usual silky moments, while Phillips was a mixture of aggression and composure. It was working well.

Then Cajuste landed awkwardly early in the second half, rolling his ankle, and had to be replaced. Later on, Phillips limped off with a calf problem.

Both are clearly good Premier League midfielders. Sadly, neither have been able to reach full throttle during their season-long loans from Napoli and Man City respectively. Things have been particularly stop-start for Phillips, while Cajuste's knee issues have prevented him from being someone who can complete 90 minutes.

Town needed a fair wind to maximise their chance of survival this season. They've not had an awful lot of luck on the injuries front.

IMPROVED INDIVIDUALS

Town responded well to going 1-0 and 2-0 down. They kept throwing punches back in an utter slugfest of a first half and eventually landed one. Palmer's big kick up field preceded Phillips' well-weighted pass and Jack Clarke cut the ball back for Hutchinson's expertly taken first time finish.

The game was less open after the restart, but Town did have a little spell when they were pushing for an equaliser. Things may have been different had Luke Woolfenden been onside when he headed in on the hour mark.

True, the Blues' attack wasn't fully functioning - but that's no surprise. This was Clarke's sixth Premier League start, while it was Philogene's full home debut.

I actually thought both showed signs of major progress with the way they worked off the ball in this game. They just need time to improve their team chemistry. Time, sadly, is something that Town don't have.

Frustration may be the overriding emotion at present, but the thought of some talented young English attackers clicking in the medium to long-term term - whether that be in the Premier League or Championship - is exciting.

THE DIFFERENCE

James Maddison is clearly a man who gets fired up by his critics. His 'shush' goal celebration, aimed at Roy Keane a week ago, is proof of that. Booing the former Norwich man as he entered the field as a second half sub was, therefore, probably not the best idea, then.

The England schemer showed superb footwork to dance his way out of a tight spot in the box to tee up Djed Spence for Spurs' killer third goal in the 77th minute. The way the ball deflected off Woolfenden into the top corner was another example of how the luck's just not gone Town's way this season.

The fourth goal also had an element of misfortune. Should Tim Robinson have stopped the game after Dane Scarlett and Jacob Greaves clashed heads? By the letter of the law, yes. That said, the Spurs man won the aerial duel fairly and Dejan Kulusevski's curling finish was excellent.

The final scoreline felt harsh, but this game was a microcosm of Ipswich's season. Really competitive for long spells, but ultimately not clinical enough at both ends. The Premier League is ridiculously unforgiving.

GAP GROWS

Wolves took advantage of Bournemouth being reduced to 10-men in the first half to win 1-0 at the Vitality Stadium.

That result means that Ipswich are now five points from safety with 12 games to go. It's effectively a six-point gap due to goal difference.

The first thing to say is that, as sizeable as this task now looks, this is no time to throw the towel in. Town go to Manchester United on Wednesday night, a team who have lost 12 Premier League games this season. There are still crunch games to come against Wolves and Leicester too. The picture could change again very quickly. There's still an FA Cup fifth round tie to look forward to as well, don't forget.

The second thing to say is that, if the Blues do ultimately fall short, then perspective will be required. This Premier League line-up has the best strength in depth for years. Even the mid-to-lower clubs in it have spent numerous transfer windows building their squads. Ipswich, following back-to-back promotions, have had just two.

There have been more hits than misses in terms of recruitment. There have been more entertaining and competitive matches than flat and one-sided ones. Ipswich Town Football Club will be in a far better place regardless of how this season finishes. Keep enjoying the journey.

ALEX PALMER

Made a brave stop at Destiny Udogie's feet in the action-packed opening exchanges, kept out a Son effort with his legs at the near post and made a smart stop down low to keep out a Rodrigo Bentancur effort.

Some big kicks up field led to openings, while he confidently claimed some high balls. Not a lot he could have done about any of the four goals conceded. 7

BEN GODFREY

Son Heung-min repeatedly got in behind him during the first half. Two goals were conceded from such moments - and it could have been four. January loan signing hasn't played a lot of football this season and it showed. Hooked at the break. 4

DARA O'SHEA

Good strength to recover against Udogie early on. Produced a fine block to deny Lucas Bergvall. None of the goals can be pinned on him. 6

JACOB GREAVES

Superb last-ditch challenge to deny Johnson and almost flung himself in the way when Spurs scored their second. High press set-up a Hutchinson chance just before the break. Lost his aerial duel with Dane Scarlett ahead of the fourth. 6

LEIF DAVIS

Wasn't aware of the danger behind him when Johnson arrived to score the opener and got caught up field for the fourth. Sharp throw-in created an early Delap chance, but poor throw-in led to a Rodrigo Bentancur opening. Made a couple of great tackles. Mixed afternoon. 5

KALVIN PHILLIPS

Whipped free-kick led to Delap heading against the woodwork, while perfectly-weighted pass led to Hutchinson's goal. Got stuck in and looked cool on the ball. A real shame to see him forced off with a calf injury late on. Just hasn't been able to build any momentum this season. 7 (Town MOTM)

JENS CAJUSTE

Neat turn and drive created a chance inside the opening minute. Had several other classy moments on the ball. Was a major blow when he rolled his ankle in a challenge soon after the break and had to be withdrawn. Hopefully it's not a major set-back. 7

JADEN PHILOGENE

Step forwards after an underwhelming start to life with Town. Worked hard off the ball, but his end product on it can improve. Best moment was when he hustled Son off the ball and then immediately made a crowd-pleasing tackle on Bergvall just before the break. Driving run drew the foul which led to Woolfenden's goal being chalked off. 6

OMARI HUTCHINSON

First time finish into the corner of the net was expertly taken, but there were a couple more times he could have done better in shooting positions. 6

JACK CLARKE

Has come on leaps and bounds out of possession this season. Helped out defensively and combined well with team-mates in the final third. Good vision for the assist. Shame he didn't spot Jack Taylor for a cut-back at 1-2. 6

LIAM DELAP

Couldn't take a couple of really good chances, by his standards, early on. One shot went straight at Vicario, while another was dragged wide. Lovely glancing header came back off the woodwork. Won lots of flick-ons. Wanted to see him bully Archie Gray more. 6

LUKE WOOLFENDEN (for Godfrey, 46)

Shame his headed finish was (correctly) chalked off for offside. Really unfortunate with the way Spence's goal deflected in off him. 6

JACK TAYLOR (for Cajuste, 52)

Made some good runs that weren't spotted. One of the players too easily beaten by Maddison for the killer third. 6

NATHAN BROADHEAD (for Clarke, 68)

Won a few fouls when he came on. 6

GEORGE HIRST (for Delap, 79) N/A

SAM MORSY (for Phillips, 80) N/A

* Full disclosure, these ratings have been adapted after feedback!

Brennan Johnson scored twice for the visitors before Omari Hutchinson pulled a goal back in a breathless first half full of chances for both sides.

Luke Woolfenden had a headed equaliser chalked off for offside in the second period before Djed Spence and Dejan Kulusevski goals killed the game off.

Wolves' 1-0 win at Bournemouth means the Blues are now five points of safety, with a significantly worse goal difference, heading into their final 12 matches - the next of which is a Wednesday night trip to Manchester United.

Asked if he still believed, McKenna replied: "No doubt. We always will while it's possible.

"Look, it is what it is. They (Wolves) have picked up a good result today when the opposition (Bournemouth) have had an early red card after VAR. These are really, really small margins in football and they haven't gone our way in football this year.

"Of course everyone probably thinks that! But I don't think anyone can say that we've had any fortune or margins go our way too often.

"So yeah, it is what it is. We've got a big challenge to stay in the division. We know we're going to have to pick up points at a greater rate in our last 12 games and I believe that we can pick our points up at a greater rate, for sure.

"I know it's frustrating to say, but it's just the reality of the situation that we're still in a period of improvement. We've got a couple of players making their home debuts today and that's been the case almost right through the season. We've not been able to settle on relationships and partnerships on the pitch too often.

"We've got to hope for better margins and luck during the run-in, keep doing good work and push for improvement and turning margins our way.

"I believe we can pick up a good amount of points in the last 12 games. Of course it's not in our hands. If other teams win all their games then we can't control that. We can only do what we can do and that starts on Wednesday night. We've go to pick ourselves up and go again. It's another good game to try and really take on."

Reflecting on today's defeat, he said: "We're, of course, really frustrated by the result.

"I think there were lots of good things in the performance, no doubt. We started really, really well and should have been ahead.

"I think we were the better team in the first half. That's a couple of home games in a row that we should go in with a lead on the balance of play and the chances, but we go in with in with a deficit. So we're frustrated by that.

"There's no doubt that their execution, when they got their big moments around our penalty box, was better than our execution whenever we got our big moments around their penalty box. That was the difference between the two teams.

"I think there were so many good things about the performance though. There's so much growth on the pitch and a lot of growth still to come, but of course it's a stage of the season where we'd like to have the points on the board.

"It's a frustrating game, but it is what it is. We can't feel sorry for ourselves. I know we have improved in many aspects - we've had a difficult loss, so it doesn't feel like that - but I believe very, very strongly in how we're working day-to-day.

"It's clear that margins have gone against us too often. We certainly have anything that resembles luck in many different aspects this year, but also our execution compared to the opposition's execution hasn't been at the level enough.

"It's not a stage of the season where we want to talk about growth or pride in performances because we want the points on the board, but at the same time we can't lose patience with the good things that are going on. I know that they are there - there's evidence of it on the pitch and I see it day-to-day. We just have to keep working and see where it takes us."

Tottenham's opening two goals were carbon copies, with Son Heung-min getting in behind Ben Godfrey to cross for Johnson to score. Godfrey, who had replaced the suspended Axel Tuanzebe in the side, was subbed at the break.

"It's two situations where we should do better, no doubt, both in defending the individual actions and the covering of those actions," said McKenna.

"Again, you talk about margins going our way. We've got our right-back missing today for two yellows after making one foul in the first half of a game (at Aston Villa). That means we play 50 plus extra-time last weekend with 10 men and have to make another change to our backline today which, in our position, make it even more difficult.

"That was the challenge coming into the game and we didn't defend those situations well enough in the first half."

With thousands of Town fans staying until the end to voice their backing of the team, McKenna added: "The support's really appreciated and we don't take it for granted. Not every club gets it.

"I also know the supporters know the journey the club's been on. You can bored of saying it, but that's the reality. Playing Tottenham at home is a big step. Five years ago we were in the middle of League One and they were in the Champions League Final. It's been a really quick rise to this point which make sit a challenge.

"I think the supporters are clever enough here, and honest enough and balanced enough to see a lot of good things on the pitch today. There are a lot of things to take pride in in terms of how we went about it and the level of so many individual performances from young players.

"There are lots of different ways we can lose to Tottenham Hotspur as Ipswich that would still have the same outcome, but I think the supporters have taken pride in some of the things that they are seeing.

"They're frustrated, like we're frustrated, but we can work any harder. We've just got to keep working as hard as we can and as smart as we can to keep getting better. We've got to keep earning that support."

Brennan Johnson scored twice before Omari Hutchinson pulled a goal back in a breathless first half full of chances for both sides.

Luke Woolfenden had an equaliser correctly chalked off for offside on the hour mark, then substitute James Maddison's silky footwork set up Djed Spence for Spurs' killer third on 77 minutes.

Dejan Kulusevski curled in the visitors' fourth when Ipswich players were left calling for the play to be stopped for a Jacob Greaves head injury.

Wolves' 1-0 win at Bournemouth means that Town are now five points adrift of safety with 12 games to go.

Blues boss Kieran McKenna made four changes to the side that started the previous weekend's 1-1 draw at Aston Villa.

Axel Tuanzebe, serving a one-game ban for his controversial two-booking dismissal at Villa Park, was replaced by Ben Godfrey at right-back. It was the two-cap England international's second league start since he joined on loan from Atalanta.

The fit-again Leif Davis replaced Conor Townsend at left-back, while Jaden Philogene and Jack Clarke came in for Ben Johnson and the injured Julio Enciso in attack.

Sam Morsy, available again after an abdominal injury, had to make do with a place on the bench as McKenna stuck with the midfield pairing of Kalvin Phillips and Jens Cajuste. Dara O'Shea, once again, wore the captain's armband.

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglu made three changes to the side that started a 1-0 home win against Manchester United the previous weekend.

The fit-again Daniel Udogie replaced Pedro Porro, with Djed Spence moving from left-back to his more natural right-back role. Archie Gray came in for Ben Davies at the heart of defence, while Brennan Johnson, another back from injury, replaced James Maddison. That meant that Dejan Kulusevski played in a slightly deeper attacking role.

Town burst out the traps and created two good chances inside the opening two minutes of the game.

Jens Cajuste's driving run and pass set Delap away down the right side of Tottenham's box with just seconds played and his well-struck shot stung the palms of Guglielmo Vicario. Jaden Philogene's follow-up shot struck team-mate Omari Hutchinson on the line and, after a frantic spell of play, the offside flag was raised.

Not long afterwards, with Portman Road a cauldron of noise, Davis' sharp throw up the line set Delap away down the side of the box again. This time his low shot went across the face of goal.

The breathless start continued when Son Heung-min set overlapping left-back Destiny Udogie racing away. Dara O'Shea recovered well to show good strength though and Alex Palmer saved bravely at feet.

Delap went even closer in the sixth minute. After Hutchinson won a foul, Phillips whipped in a wide dead ball and Delap's glancing/looping header came back off the angle of bar and post.

Tottenham were the next team to create a good chance. With 13 minutes on the clock, Son blazed past Ben Godfrey and cut the ball back. Lucas Bergvall's shot was blocked by O'Shea and Jacob Greaves did superbly to fling himself in the way of Johnson's follow-up chance.

Ipswich, unfortunately, didn't heed the warning shot. In the 18th minute, centre-back Archie Gray intercepted a pass, played a long ball over the top and Son, after getting in behind Godfrey, drilled in a low cross that Johnson stabbed in from close range.

Town responded well. A thunderous Delap shot from outside the box deflected wide and, from the resultant half-cleared corner, Philogene went close with a swerving long-rang effort. Moments later, after good interplay involving Cajuste, Clarke and Davis, Delap's spin and shot from the edge of the box tested Vicario down low.

It was Tottenham who struck the next blow, however. And it was a carbon copy of their opener as Son once again got in behind Godfrey to cut the ball back for Johnson to side-foot home. Town's marking, in all phases of the move, was slack.

Two minutes later, Son drifted into the same position and, this time, Palmer had to make a smart near post stop. There were groans of frustration around the ground and an inquest among the Town players.

The slugfest continued and Ipswich, having been on the ropes, were able to get the next goal. In the 36th minute, a long kick up field by Palmer led to Phillips sliding a well-weighted pass and Clarke cutting the ball back for Hutchinson to sweep home a fine first-time finish from near the penalty spot.

There was still time, in an action-packed half of football, for Palmer to make a smart stop from Rodrigo Bentancur after he'd intercepted a poor Davis throw and driven forwards to shoot.

McKenna hooked Godfrey at the break, replacing him with Luke Woolfenden and shifting O'Shea across to right-back.

Then, six minutes into the second half, Cajuste twisted awkwardly in a challenge and limped off. He was replaced by Jack Taylor.

There was a subsequent spell where Ipswich were pushing for an equaliser. The Blues thought they had it on the hour mark when Woolfenden stopped to head in Hutchinson's high cross to the far post, but the offside flag had, correctly been raised.

Ex-Norwich man James Maddison was introduced off the bench to resounding boos, but it his quick footwork that led to Tottenham scoring a killer third in the 77th minute. After dancing his way through three Ipswich players he teed up Spence and the full-back's shot inside the box deflected in off Woolfenden.

To rub salt in the wounds, Phillips then became the second Ipswich midfielder of the day to be forced off injured.

The home crowd increasingly felt they weren't getting any decisions off referee Tim Robinson, the man at the centre of that gut-wrenching 1-1 home draw with Leicester last November. That feeling intensified following Tottenham's fourth goal of the afternoon.

When ex-Town loanee Dane Scarlett flicked the ball on he clashed heads with Jacob Greaves and the pair went down. Robinson did not stop the play though and Kulusevski raced away before cutting inside and curling a shot beyond Palmer.

McKenna's men go to struggling Manchester United on Wednesday night.

Ipswich Town (4-2-3-1): Palmer; Godfrey (Woolfenden 46), O'Shea (cpt), Greaves, Davis; Phillips (Morsy 80), Cajuste (Taylor 62); Philogene, Hutchinson, Clarke (Broadhead 68); Delap (Hirst 80).

Unused subs: Muric, Johnson, Woolfenden, Townsend, Szmodics.

Tottenham Hotspur (4-3-3): Vicario; Spence, Danso, Gray, Udogie (Porro 64); Bergvall, Bentancur; Kulusevski; Johnson (Maddison 64), Tel (Scarlett 74), Son (Odobert 74).

Unused subs: Kinsky, Reguilon, Bissouma, Sarr,, Moore.

Referee: Tim Robinson

The duo discuss the key talking points going into the game as Kieran McKenna's men take on Ange Postecoglou's side, who are 12th in the top flight and have won back-to-back league games.

They chat about what sort of game we can expect, plus offer their possible line-ups and predictions.

On facing the club where he started out as a coach...

“To be honest, my focus is 100% on the game. I’ve not given it a lot of thought in that context. We played them earlier in the season, it was nice going back there as a manager having worked there as a coach, but this is all about Ipswich Town and a big game for us in the Premier League.

“Tottenham coming to Portman Road is fantastic for the club from where it was a few years’ ago. It’s got the makings of a really good game."

On whether he has any sympathy for under pressure Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglu...

“He certainly doesn’t need that from me! He’s done brilliantly in his career and is an excellent manager.

“He’s gone through a spell where they’ve had a lot of injuries and challenges – we all know that comes at some point for any team and any manager.

"I think he’s handled that situation well and I’m sure they’ll be looking to pick up form in the months ahead and we have to try and make sure that doesn’t continue on Saturday."

On Town producing just one win and nine goals in their 13 Premier League home games so far...

“It’s mostly really small margins, to be honest. If you look at our home games we have had much more opportunities to win than we have in our away games.

"We’ve been a few seconds, a hair’s breath, a few millimetres away from winning games. We could easily be sitting here with treble or four times the amount of homes that we have.

“Away from home, whenever we’ve managed to compete really well and stay in games, we’ve managed to be a little bit more clinical, see them out a little bit better and get the margins to go our way.

“I don’t think there’s loads in it to be honest. On a par score we’d have picked up a lot more points at home.

“Most of the home performances have been good. We’ve put ourselves in good situations to win games, we just haven’t been able to get as many over the line as we’d like.

“We’ve got to try and perform to a top level which gives us a chance to compete in games and then, when we’re in games and the result’s on the line, we’ve got to try and take care of everything we can to make the margins go our way."

On the importance of a good start against Tottenham...

“You always want a good start at home. Home or away, Tottenham always go for a fast start and look to impose themselves on the game.

“We need to make sure we hit the intensity at the start, try and impose ourselves on them in different ways, but also know they are a really dangerous team if you leave yourselves too open.

“We have to set the right tone and hopefully carry that on for the 90 minutes."

Only two newly-promoted teams in Premier League history have done a league double. Can Ipswich become a third?

“That’s a good stat! The first result was incredible, we can’t play it down, it was a top, top result. I know Tottenham have had a difficult couple of months since then, but we faced a really strong Tottenham team at their stadium at a moment when they were in good form. I think if they’d have won they would have gone third in the league.

“For newly-promoted teams to win games in the Premier League is really tough. To beat a team of Tottenham’s ilk was a big one and if we could do it again it would be absolutely fantastic.

“But we know they are going to be desperate for the points as well. I think their players will have the pride to want to make sure they get the result this time.

“We know we can take some belief from the first game, but it also probably makes it an even bigger challenge. That’s what we have to try and rise to."

Is this the wrong time to play Tottenham given they've got several players back from injuries, have signed Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel in January and have had two weeks without midweek fixtures?

“Look, it is a reality that, over the course of the season, there are better times to play teams than others. One clear one, to be honest, is you kind of want to play teams straight after they’ve played European football on a Thursday night, because that is a challenge.

“Other than that, our mindset is always that we’re going to face the very best version of the opponent. We can’t control how they are, of course.

"A couple of weeks ago their squad was really thin and they were playing weekend-midweek for a very long period of time. They’ve now had new players come in and players come back, plus a couple of clear weeks of training. So I’m sure the message in their camp will be that they’re feeling better and going to try and come here and deliver a top performance.

“You have to always prepare for that. You’d certainly be on the wrong track if you went into any game at this level expecting the opponent to be anything short of their best.

“We’re expecting to face a really strong Tottenham and that’s a great challenge for us. All we can control is making sure they face a really strong Ipswich Town, hopefully in a hostile environment at Portman Road. Let’s see where that takes us."

On both teams ranking highly for number of sprints and distances covered...

“I think both teams play really intense football. There are maybe more similarities with them at the start of this season and us last year in terms of the way they can really take the game to teams and really look to outscore teams.

“We know this year is a different challenge for us, but both of us like to play with a really good intensity and work very hard. I think there will be moments where we have a really intense game on Saturday.

“We also know that we need to manage the game well. For us, this season, going hell for leather for 90 minutes against every opponent isn’t the right way to do it. There are times we have to play with a big intensity and take the challenge on head-to-head and there are times where we need to control the game in different ways. Saturday is clearly one of those games where we’ll need to find the balance right between both of those."

Kieran McKenna's side go into this game off the back of their 1-1 draw away to Aston Villa to end a four-game losing streak in the top flight.

They now face Ange Postecoglou's side, who have secured back-to-back league wins, having previously just won once in 11 matches. They sit 12th in the table.

The two sides last faced off back in November, where the Blues claimed their first victory in the top tier for 22 years, with a 2-1 win in North London.

The duo discuss the season so far, the mood among fans, key players, what game we could expect and predictions for the game.

The 33-year-old, who made 369 appearances in an 11-year-stint at Arsenal and has 86 Wales caps to his name, returned to his boyhood club in the summer of 2023, just weeks before the Bluebirds travelled to Portman Road in the Championship.

He scored the opener in that game before Joe Ralls added a second, but it was Town who took the points as Nathan Broadhead's strike preceded a brace from Freddie Ladapo, who secured a 3-2 win for the hosts.

Ramsey was impressed by what he saw from Ipswich in the Championship, particularly their hybrid formation that switches between a 4-2-3-1 and a back five, which he believes could be crucial for them to continue playing well and picking up results in the Premier League.

"They were a breath of fresh air, really," he said on Planet Premier League. Everyone was saying that the wheels were going to fall off, but they were just relentless.

"Last year we saw a lot of them in their back five and their wing-backs were so important to them.

"There's no coincidence that when they went to a back five against Tottenham, that might've felt a bit more natural or comfortable for them.

"Now they're just starting to find their feet and they're putting in some good performances now.

"I'm sure that will continue and they'll pick up results now, which will go a long way as the season goes on."