Man United vs Ipswich: A Crucial Test for Carrick's Side

Manchester United will play their first home Premier League match of the 2026-27 season when they host Ipswich Town on Sunday, August 30, at 16:30 local time (15:30 GMT) at Old Trafford. This match holds significant importance for manager Michael Carrick and his squad following their poor start.

Michael Carrick was handed a permanent contract after guiding Manchester United to a third-place finish last season as interim manager. However, the new campaign began with a 0-2 defeat to Hull City, a newly promoted side, in the opening round. Goals from Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy in the first half left United empty-handed at the MKM Stadium.

“We need to improve a little; things are never perfect. Going behind makes everything harder, especially against a newly promoted side on their home ground,” Carrick said after the match.

Meanwhile, Ipswich Town, who also earned promotion from the Championship last season, enjoyed a dream start by beating Sunderland 2-1 at home in their opener. A late goal from Jack Clarke secured the vital three points, helping Gary O'Neil's side shake off some of the painful memories of the 2024-25 season, when they finished 19th and were relegated. The club remains unbeaten at home since October 2025.

Another notable stat: if they lose this match, Manchester United would become the first team in Premier League history to lose their first two games of a season against newly promoted sides.

Team news and injury updates

For United, new signing Carlos Baleba will be sidelined for around three weeks with an ankle injury. The £70 million signing from Brighton, who was expected to bolster the Red Devils' midfield, may not make his debut until October.

Beyond Baleba, several other United players are unavailable due to injuries, including Amad Diallo, Tom Heaton, Matthijs de Ligt, Mason Mount, and Manuel Ugarte. Ugarte could be out for the rest of the season with a knee ligament injury. Carrick is expected to field a likely lineup of: Lammens; Mazraoui, Maguire, Heaven, Shaw; Mainoo, Andrey Santos; Mbeumo, Bruno Fernandes, Rashford; Cunha.

Ipswich, meanwhile, have fewer fitness concerns, with only Azor Matusiwa and Florentino Luis missing. Their expected lineup is: Scherpen; O'Shea, Diop, Greaves, Davis; Nunez, Lukic; Clarke, Enciso, Maeda; Emersonn.

Head-to-head and prediction

According to the Opta supercomputer, Manchester United are heavy favorites with a 66.4% win probability. Ipswich's chances of victory are just 15.3%, while the likelihood of a draw is 18.3%.

The two sides have met 59 times since 1958, with United winning 30, Ipswich winning 19, and 10 draws. Ipswich have not beaten United since a 2-0 win in the third round of the League Cup in 1997. Notably, United beat Ipswich 3-2 in their most recent Premier League meeting in February 2025, with Harry Maguire scoring the decisive goal early in the second half to secure the win despite being reduced to ten men.

Can United bounce back from their opening shock to secure their first win under Carrick, or will Ipswich spring a surprise at Old Trafford? The answer will come after this weekend's match.