West Bromwich Albion return to action following the final international break of 2023 with an eye-catching home clash against joint-league leaders Ipswich Town on Saturday evening (ko 5.30pm).
The Baggies were narrowly edged out 2-1 by Southampton at St Mary's Stadium in their most recent fixture. However, at The Hawthorns, Carlos Corberán's men are unbeaten in five, conceding just once during that time while winning the last two.
Opponents Ipswich have made an incredible start to the 2023/24 Sky Bet Championship campaign having won promotion from League One last year.
They've collected 12 victories and 39 points from their 16 matches, losing just once - the fewest amount of league defeats in the division.
The Tractor Boys, competing in the second tier again after spending the previous four years in League One, beat Cardiff 3-2 at Portman Road in their last game before the two-week break.
This weekend's meeting will be the first between the two teams since March 2019.
Follow the fixture live
Supporters can listen to live audio commentary of Albion's fixture with Ipswich Town.
Gez Mulholland and former Baggie Andy Johnson will provide live commentary from the Shrine, with coverage starting at 5.20pm.
Audio passes are available to purchase here.
Details for video streaming on WBA TV will be available here from Thursday afternoon onwards.
Supporters are kindly asked to direct any questions or complaints about WBA TV or WBA Radio to wbatvsupport@streamamg.com.
The club are unable to answer queries about WBA TV or WBA Radio sent to fans@wbafc.co.uk or myalbion@wbafc.co.uk.
Regular updates will also be posted across the club's social media channels throughout the day and evening.
The opponents
Ipswich Town have taken the Sky Bet Championship by storm having sealed promotion from League One last term.
The Tractor Boys, who last played in the second tier in the 2018/19 campaign, head into the 17th match round joint top of the table with Leicester City on 39 points.
Saturday evening's guests have won 12 of their 16 games, losing just one of those - a 4-3 reverse at home to Leeds United in late August. They arrive at The Hawthorns on a 12-match unbeaten run in the league, winning nine and drawing the other three.
Ipswich have been involved in some really high-scoring games. Half of their Championship clashes have seen at least four goals scored, including all of their last four. The side from East Anglia have played 20 matches in all competitions so far this season, with Kieran McKenna's men scoring in every single one. Their tally of 36 is the highest in the second-tier and seven more than the second-highest scorers (Leicester 29).
McKenna, who previously worked at Manchester United as U18s manager, first-team coach and assistant manager, has been in charge of the club since December 2021. The 37-year-old won promotion to the Championship automatically in his first full season in charge, finishing the 2022/23 term as runners-up in League One.
One to remember
Albion put four unanswered strikes past Ipswich Town in the Coca-Cola Championship in September 2007.
The Baggies goalscorers that afternoon were Ishmael Miller, Filipe Teixeira and Kevin Phillips (2).
Supporters can enjoy the highlights below.
The last five
Albion 1-1 Ipswich Town
March 9 2019, Sky Bet Championship
.
Ipswich Town 1-2 Albion
November 23 2018, Sky Bet Championship
.
Ipswich Town 1-0 Albion
December 1 2010, Carling Cup
.
Ipswich Town 1-1 Albion
January 26 2010, Coca-Cola Championship
.
Albion 2-0 Ipswich Town
August 22 2009, Coca-Cola Championship
Did you know?
Albion will be hoping to extend their unbeaten home run against Ipswich Town to seven games on Saturday evening.
The Tractor Boys' last victory at The Hawthorns was a 1-0 success in a Division One clash in March 1999. Manuel Thetis scored the only goal that day after just 15 minutes. Both he and Albion's Sean Flynn were dismissed inside the final ten minutes.
The Baggies have won four and drawn two of those last six fixtures with Ipswich on home soil.
Ticket details
Tickets are on general sale for Albion’s fixture against Ipswich Town.
Seats are priced £28 adults, £23 seniors, £17 for supporters aged 20-25, £12 for supporters aged 17-19 and just £5 under-17s.
An adult disabled supporter ticket is priced £18 and includes free access for a personal assistant.
Tickets can be purchased online, in-person from the East Stand Ticket Office or by calling 0121 227 2227.
When buying online, supporters will need to be logged into their My Albion account linked to their ticketing ID. Click here for instructions.
Please note, Baggies fans purchasing online and opting for an e-ticket will not pay any additional fees, while supporters who opt to purchase match tickets in-person or choose to collect from the club’s ticket office will be charged a £1.75 transaction fee.
Fan Zone
The Fan Zone will be open and free to enter for supporters of both West Bromwich Albion and Ipswich Town with a valid match ticket on Saturday from 2pm.
A wide variety of entertainment will be on offer, including a live singer and DJ, Black Friday retails offers from the shop area of the Fan Zone, former player Andy Johnson, as well as Baggie Bird and Boilerman, in attendance, spot prizes to be won and plenty of food and drink to be enjoyed.
Additional information
Transport for West Midlands have provided the following details for supporters attending Saturday's match.
What is happening?
· The Christmas lights are being switched on in West Bromwich town centre
· If you are travelling to the match by Kelvin Way, there are roadworks between Bromford Road and Johnson Street
What does this mean?
· Princess Parade will be busy between 15.00 - 18:00 for the light switch on so expect travel to and from the town centre to be busy at these times
· Two-way traffic lights will be operating under manual control from 15.30 to 20.00 to help keep you moving
What should you do?
Plan ahead and allow more time for your journey.
To reduce impact on the road network please consider using public transport and retime your journey if you can. Click here to plan your journey.