Stats at a glance: Ipswich (A): 22/08/2026
Average home goals predicted: 0.75
Average away goals predicted: 2.0
Confidence of Roker Report’s writers: 6.25/10
Predicting a win for the Lads: 75%
Martin Wanless (Cautious Optimist) says…
Score prediction: Ipswich 1 Sunderland 2
It’s the worst possible time to play a newly promoted club in many respects — we suffered last season at Burnley, and I think that will still be in the minds of some players.
Ipswich could do OK this season; they’re the club of the three promoted teams who seem to have done some impressive business, but hopefully we’ll
dent their optimism with a controlled performance that sees us get all three points.
Key differentiator: Brian Brobbey’s physicality and hold up play.
Confidence: 5/10. We really don’t know what to expect from Ipswich
Bold call: Our first corner wont be until the second half.
Malc Dugdale (Scarred happy clapper) says…
Score prediction: Ipswich 0 Sunderland 2
West Ham probably thought they could turn us over last year, and look what happened.
I’m backing the Lads to have too much for these lads — though they’ve invested heavily so may well beat the drop. Three points, and move on.
Key differentiator: Granit Xhaka is just too good for these and will run the show from the middle of the park.
Confidence: 8/10. We’re solid and settled but away from home, don’t go behind…
Bold call: Xhaka to finally score a belter from outside the box.
Jack Howe-Gingell (Eternal optimist) says…
Score prediction: Ipswich 0 Sunderland 2
There’s two ways to look at this: as a tough game away to a promoted side or a team most recently who were a Championship side and should give us a great platform.
Personally, I think it’ll be a bit of both. They’ll give us a strong game but I think the Lads will show their worth and bring home three points.
Key differentiator: Our midfield is full of energy guile and organisation. Going up against Granit Xhaka, Noah Sadiki and Enzo Le Fée could trouble the best sides, and they’ll shine here.
Confidence: 9/10
Bold call: Ipswich to get a first half red card. They’ll be up for it, but some of our more wily players will push them into difficult positions.
“Champion” Will Jones (Heart over head) says…
Score prediction: Ipswich 1 Sunderland 1
I’m likely to be the only one not going for a win, so this is putting me straight to the top of the table or the bottom!
Key differentiator: Away day on the opening day of the season to a newly-promoted club. The round will be bouncing and new players will be staking a place in the home squad.
Confidence: 3/10. The recent news regarding signings may put us on the back foot slightly should we go behind, and the fans may get deflated a bit easier than last year.
Bold call: A red card for Sunderland in the first half — probably Luke O’Nien or Reinildo.
Matty Foster (Pragmatist) says…
Score prediction: Ipswich 1 Sunderland 1
The first game against a promoted side away is less than ideal, with Ipswich sensing an opportunity to prove they belong in the Premier League.
I anticipate a tough ninety, but one we get a point from.
Key differentiator: Our squad remains very much the same, and that squad cohesion will work in our favour to grind a result out.
Confidence: 6/10
Bold call: We’ll equalise in stoppage time to share the spoils.
Anthony Gair (Depreciating optimist) says…
Score prediction: Ipswich 2 Sunderland 3
Ipswich will return to the Premier League with all guns blazing.
I think they’ll take the lead against us early on, but with a barrage of attacks and constant possession after going behind, we’ll then score and dominate from there on, with Ipswich scoring towards the end to give them hope.
Key differentiator: ‘King Granit’ will calm the troops and we will silence the Portman Road faithful when we need him to.
Confidence: 7/10
Bold call: Ipswich to have two bookings in the first half, battling to hold on to the lead they’ll take.
Gary Winter (Glass almost empty) says…
Score prediction: Ipswich 1 Sunderland 2
The first game against Ipswich presents a potential banana skin, for me.
It’s always tough to be the first visiting opponents of a newly-promoted side, with the crowd and the players up for their big day, as we found out last season at Turf Moor.
Key differentiator: This fixture has come at a poor time. We need experience to step up and lead us to how we can give the Tractor Boys a bad start.
Confidence: 4/10
Bold call: First goal of the game will be at sixty six minutes or later.
Brett Lyons-Davis (Gut feeling guy) says…
Score prediction: Ipswich 0 Sunderland 3
Football is back!
These lads are settling into life in the Premier League with new players and a new manager…let’s do them.
Key differentiator: The fact we have got a settled team will be massive.
Confidence: 8/10
Bold call: Sunderland go 0-1 up inside twenty minutes. Welcome to the Premier League, Ipswich.
Last season’s end
How do you summarise that?
We beat Chelsea and won our first tour of Europe from league position ever. The Chelsea game was immense and so was the crowd, which I was very happy to be part of.
If we can have another season anything like that in my lifetime, I’ll be a very happy man, and I won’t be alone.
Last game predictions…
Five of the lads went for an away win but nobody was so confident they would predict that we’d score three goals.
Three of the lads went for Brian Brobbey to notch first, meaning a few lads got a one or two points despite not getting a full house.
As our final predictions outing comes about, we all have to hope we can do what’s needed and take this club to levels that the fans deserve, and the club probably really wants, too.
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Predictions table and standings
In the last game of the season, Will scored three points for his prediction and Malc scored only one, giving Will the title of 2025-26 predictions champion.
This season a few changes have been introduced, so let’s see how he does hanging onto that title.
How the points are awarded
Just a quick reminder of how we allocate points to our match-by-match predictions:
- Correct score = Three points
- Correct outcome (but not correct score) = One point
- Correct Bold Call = One point
- Possible deductions for being lazy and not submitting on time = a two-point deduction.
