Ipswich Town will face reigning Premier League champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium this weekend, with even the most optimistic fans tempering their expectations.
Massive underdogs: Bookmakers have set odds as high as 28/1 for an Ipswich win, while odds of 36/1 have been readily available on the exchanges. This has to be the longest odds for an Ipswich victory in the club's long history.
Despite the slim chances of success: Many supporters hope for a strong performance similar to the recent match against Liverpool, where a respectable showing, even in defeat, would satisfy any semi-realistic fans.
Room for big moments: The City pitch is big. If they allow us time on the ball, we have players that can cause them problems – most notably Hutchinson, who's capable of moments of magic against any team in the league.
Team news: Manager Kieran McKenna is expected to make 3 or 4 changes to the starting lineup, and a formation change to counter Manchester City's world-class squad wouldn't surprise me either.
Goalkeeper Aro Muric faces a late fitness test
Wes Burns is out for several weeks with a hamstring injury
Kalvin Phillips is ineligible to play against his parent club
My prediction: I predict a 4-0 City win, but it shouldn't be forgotten that matches like this are exactly what the club fought so hard for by earning promotion.
It's a chance to compete against the world's best, so let's hope for positives to take into the Fulham match next week, where we're far more likely to pick up our first points of the season.
