It is going to be a cracker at St Mary’s on Tuesday night. A season-defining game in the Championship promotion race.
Southampton are undoubtedly the best side in the league right now. In 2026 they have been virtually unstoppable, and pushed Man City all the way in the FA Cup semi-final at the weekend.
Gatecrashing the automatic spots seemed unthinkable until recently, but a win on Tuesday night against Ipswich will take them to within a point of the Tractor Boys heading into the final day of the season on Saturday lunchtime.
They could, quite feasibly, blow it wide open for themselves, for Millwall AND for Middlesbrough.
Only a win will do. A draw and it is the play-offs.
For Ipswich, they need three more points to essentially guarantee promotion, whether that comes on Tuesday night or on Saturday at home to QPR. But they really, emphatically really, do not want that jeopardy to go to the final day.
A draw doesn’t do much more for them than a defeat, either.
“It’s clear that both teams want to win and neither team are going to be holding out for a draw,” Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna said ahead of the game.
Tuesday 28th April 7:00pm
Kick off 7:45pm
“I think we all know if the game’s tied in the last 10 minutes, then neither of us are going to be sitting on a draw. Of course, a win is the dream scenario.
“But, honestly, I don’t put too much energy into thinking what a relief it would be or what it would feel like or anything like that.
“What the emotions will be if and when we get the result we want this week, whether it’s on Tuesday or Saturday, we’ll deal with those when they come.”
Southampton boss Tonda Eckert tells Sky Sports about the belief he has in his squad ahead of their clash with Ipswich.
Southampton are the form side, but Ipswich might benefit from the fact that they faced a draining 90 minutes at Wembley on Saturday evening in their FA Cup semi-final.
Fortunately for Southampton boss Tonda Eckert, the impressive depth of his squad leaves him with the space to rotate.
“This is prime time in the season,” he told Sky Sports. “You work the whole year to have big games in April and May. It speaks for the squad that they are ready and able to perform at this stage of the season.
“This is what you work for. Everyone on the staff and in the squad wants to be in this position. The important thing is to embrace the pressure because it gives us energy, and the players have shown they can handle big moments.”
There are hardly any bigger than Tuesday night under the lights at St Mary’s.
Southampton will fly out out of the traps – it will be a brilliant spectacle
Jobi McAnuff looks at the ‘pivotal’ match between Southampton and Ipswich, with both side’s in the hunt for automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Sky Sports’ Jobi McAnuff:
Once the fixture got rearranged, everyone looked at it and thought it could be absolutely pivotal, especially given Southampton’s form under Tonda Eckert, they’ve been incredible.
They need to win, so nothing less than a victory will do, and it should make for a brilliant spectacle.
Eckert has managed to rotate key players effectively during this strong run, and there will likely be a bit of a freshen-up for the next game, with one or two players coming back in.
Southampton pushed Man City all the way at Wembley on Saturday
They’ve been incredible going forward, playing at a really high tempo. Ross Stewart has been huge for them, they really missed a proper No 9 earlier in the season. Cyle Larin provides a good option as well, and Leo Scienza has had a fantastic season on the left-hand side. They’ve got threats all over the pitch.
Given their form and the fact they have to win, they’ll likely come flying out of the traps and really go for it.
For Ipswich, it’s more a case of ‘must not lose’. A defeat would put them under real pressure going into the final day.
Ipswich are still in the driving seat for promotion
They are nearly there, it just comes down to their mentality.
They’ve not been fantastic this season. At times they’ve been a bit underwhelming. They’ve got top-level Championship players in every position, and more was expected after the derby win against Norwich. Lately, they’ve been finding ways to get through games, but they haven’t been overly impressive.
It’s going to be a really difficult night for them. How they approach the game will be key, and that’s what makes it so interesting.
Ipswich have to be favourites given their position, although it’s such a huge game that the situation could look very different by Wednesday morning.
A loss could have a big psychological impact, giving Southampton a massive boost and bringing Millwall firmly into the race, but for now, Ipswich are still the pick.
Story of the match
- Ipswich will be all-but mathematically promoted to the Premier League with a win due to their superior goal difference.
- The Tractor Boys can secure second automatic promotion spot by picking up four points in their final two games.
- Southampton need to win their final two games and hope Ipswich, Millwall and Middlbesbrough fail to win on final day to be promoted automatically.
- Southampton have won one of their last six meetings (D3 L2) with Ipswich and are unbeaten in their last three meetings.
- Southampton’s only win vs Ipswich at St Mary’s was 19 years ago, a 1-0 Championship win in Feb 2007.
- Southampton are unbeaten in their last 17 Championship games (W13 D4) – the longest unbeaten run in the Championship this season.
- Ipswich have lost one of their last 13 Championship games (W7 D5) – lost 2-0 at Portsmouth on Apr 14.
