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Manchester United head into their first home game of the season with several injury concerns, including one of their newest arrivals. Carlos Baleba, who joined from Brighton during the week, will have to wait for his United debut after suffering an ankle injury during Brighton’s pre-season training camp in Austria. Tom Heaton, Matthijs de Ligt, Mason Mount and Manuel Ugarte are also expected to miss Saturday’s fixture. Ugarte faces the longest absence, with the midfielder potentially unavailable until next season. Although United came through the defeat to Hull City without any fresh injuries, Michael Carrick could still make changes to his starting XI. Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo are among those pushing for opportunities after being left out of the team that started at the MKM Stadium.
Ipswich are also expected to rotate after making nine changes for their midweek EFL Cup meeting with Leicester City. Dara O’Shea was the only defender to retain his place and should start again at Old Trafford, while Marcelino Nunez is also likely to keep his place after scoring twice, including a spectacular 45-yard effort. Jack Clarke could be rewarded with a starting role after coming off the bench to score Ipswich’s late winner against Sunderland, potentially at the expense of Abdul Fatawu. The Tractor Boys have fewer fitness concerns than their hosts, although Azor Matusiwa and Florentino Luis remain unavailable, with the latter still waiting to make his Ipswich debut.
Manchester United could hardly have wished for a worse start to the new campaign, losing 2-0 away to newly promoted Hull City. It was the first time United had lost to a promoted side on the opening weekend of a Premier League season, ending a run of 13 games without defeat in such fixtures. The bigger concern was their inability to turn 21 attempts into genuine chances, with Carrick’s side lacking the cutting edge required to punish Hull. That will need to improve quickly against another newly promoted opponent.
Ipswich, meanwhile, began their return to the Premier League with a dramatic victory over Sunderland. Clarke’s 90th-minute goal secured three points for the Championship runners-up and gave O’Neil an ideal start to his reign. The Tractor Boys were relegated from the Premier League in 2024/25 after finishing 19th with just 22 points, but they bounced straight back under Kieran McKenna, who guided them to second place in the Championship with 84 points. McKenna subsequently stepped away from management during the summer, prompting Ipswich to appoint former Wolverhampton Wanderers and Strasbourg boss O’Neil.
We predict Manchester United will get a 3–1 win against Ipswich. United’s opening-day performance exposed plenty of problems, but Carrick should expect a reaction in front of the Old Trafford crowd. Ipswich will arrive with confidence after their dramatic win over Sunderland, yet United have not lost to the Tractor Boys at home in their last eight meetings. With greater individual quality and home advantage on their side, United should have enough to edge what could be another closely contested game.
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