- Ipswich were Championship runners-up last season
- Town have highly-rated Kieran McKenna in charge
- Recommended bet: Ipswich to be relegated

Ipswich have finally returned to the Premier League after a 22-year exile, but the Tractor Boys will know they are likely to be in for a very tough campaign back up amongst the elite.

Town came second in the Championship last season, finishing a point behind champions Leicester and will proudly take their place in the top-flight just two years on from starting a League One campaign.

Last season

After spending so long in the Championship, Ipswich were delighted to have made it out of the competitive, hectic second tier, as they finished six points ahead of third-placed Leeds.

Town won 28 of their 46 league games, while they picked up 12 draws. Their tally of six defeats was the lowest total in the division, while McKenna's men were the fourth top-scorers with 81 goals and they conceded just 43 to finish up with the second-best defence.

Manager

McKenna was a promising player, but a serious hip injury curtailed his career and he turned to coaching in his 20s, spending time at Leicester, Nottingham Forest, and Canadian side Vancouver Whitecaps when learning his craft.

The former Northern Ireland youth international then impressed as a coach at both Tottenham and Manchester United before taking the Town job in December 2021.

He has since led the East Anglia giants to back-to-back promotions from League One and the Championship, finishing twice in both seasons.

Transfers

Ipswich's summer business has been fairly modest so far with Omari Hutchinson, Ben Johnson, Jacob Greaves, Liam Delap, Arijanet Muric and Conor Townsend all arriving to bolster the squad, while several previous fringe players have departed.

Strengths and weaknesses

Ipswich were consistent last season and arguably their biggest strength could be the manager as McKenna is a highly-regarded and experienced coach who will ensure his players are as best prepared as possible for the Premier League.

They go into the top-flight, though, with a lot of players who are more accustomed to the EFL so there is a considerable and plausible doubt that they have enough quality to compete on a weekly basis.

Best outright bet

Sadly for Town, the step up from the Championship to the Premier League remains huge.

Last season, the three promoted teams – Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton – all found it too difficult and were sent packing straight back down.

McKenna is clearly a wily coach and he will surely adopt tactics and game-plans to try and get the most out of his players, while also doing everything possible to restrict a better class of opponent this season.

But everyone at Portman Road knows finishing 17th would represent success, although that tantalising prospect could end up being just out of reach this season.

Back Ipswich to be relegated at 7/10 with LiveScore Bet.