FPL GW3 preview
FPL GW3 Ipswich vs Liverpool Preview: Team News, Fantasy Picks and Scoreline
Ipswich vs Liverpool preview for FPL GW3, with Ipswich's right-back problem, confirmed team news, predicted lineups and Demon's scoreline verdict.
Ipswich's problem is not their attack, it is the makeshift right-back covering for it. Darnell Furlong is not trusted as a Premier League starter, so Jack O'Shea, a centre-back by trade, has been filling in there instead. Demon has the team news, the numbers behind that weak side, and the Liverpool names best placed to punish it.
In this preview: the fixture snapshot, why Ipswich's defence is leaking behind a patched-together back line, both sides' confirmed team news and predicted lineups, and the fantasy targets Demon is backing at Portman Road.
Demon's Verdict:Ipswich 1-2 Liverpool
Fixture Snapshot
Ipswich Town vs Liverpool, Portman Road, kick-off 20:00 BST, Friday 4 September 2026. Gary O'Neil's promoted side host Andoni Iraola's Liverpool to open Gameweek 3, with both managers still searching for defensive consistency this early in the season.
Ipswich actually sit above Liverpool on points after beating Sunderland on the opening weekend, but the 5-2 defeat at Old Trafford tells the real story: seven goals conceded in two games is a defensive record that will not survive many more Premier League attacks at this rate.
Ipswich's Problem Is The Right-Back Slot
Furlong is Ipswich's only recognised senior right-back, and O'Neil does not currently see him as a Premier League starter. That has pushed O'Shea, a centre-back, into covering the position instead — exactly the kind of makeshift fix that a front three built around pace and cutbacks will look to exploit all night.
It is not just the right side either. Ipswich are conceding 13.9 shots per 90 this season, the 3rd-highest shot volume against in the league. Their mid-block holds up centrally but bends under sustained wide pressure, which is precisely the shape of Liverpool's front three.
Liverpool Team News
Hugo Ekitike (Achilles), Giovanni Leoni (knee) and Conor Bradley (knee) are all confirmed out. Joe Gomez (muscle) and Federico Chiesa (back) are doubtful. New signing Bradley Barcola trained fully this week following his move from Paris Saint-Germain, but Iraola has already suggested a first start is unlikely given his lack of pre-season minutes.
Predicted Lineups
Ipswich (4-2-3-1): Scherpen; O'Shea, Diop, Greaves, Davis; Nunez, Lukic; Fatawu, Enciso, Maeda; Akpom.
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Frimpong, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Gakpo, Wirtz, Munoz; Isak.
Philogene-Bidace, Matusiwa and Taylor are all ruled out for Ipswich, and Emersonn and Florentino Luis are doubtful, which is why O'Neil's attacking picture is still unsettled up front. Liverpool's back four, by contrast, is close to a settled look outside of the right-back slot Bradley's injury has vacated.
Fantasy Targets
Alexander Isak
Opponent:Ipswich (A)
Isak is the first name to check from this match. A defence conceding 13.9 shots per 90 and still finding its feet at centre-back is exactly the kind of fixture a nailed-on striker needs to convert underlying numbers into an actual return. Buy/hold.
| Player | Fantasy read | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Gakpo | Operating off the left, the width and cutbacks Liverpool favour run straight at Ipswich's makeshift right side. | Buy/hold |
| Wirtz | Playing in behind Isak, well placed to pick up the chances a shot-heavy Ipswich defence concedes centrally. | Hold |
| Szoboszlai | Box-to-box output gives him a goal and chance-created route even if he is not the headline pick. | Hold |
| Enciso / Fatawu | Ipswich's attacking speed is real, but do not force the move until the right-back situation stabilises. | Watch |
Demon Scoreline Verdict
Ipswich 1-2 Liverpool. Ipswich's attack has shown enough to score again at home, but a right-back covered by a centre-back against this front three is not a matchup that holds for 90 minutes. Liverpool win it, without a clean sheet.