Both sitting inside the Championship's top six, Ipswich Town and Hull City clash at Portman Road on Tuesday evening.
After 1-1 draws at the weekend, the two sides are separated by six points in the standings, having both gone unbeaten throughout September.
Match preview
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Travelling north to Huddersfield on Saturday, after taking maximum points from their last four league matches and conjuring up a midweek cup success, Ipswich aimed to follow their 4-3 Championship defeat of Blackburn Rovers and Tuesday's EFL Cup comeback against Wolves with yet another win.
However, Huddersfield Town - under new management after Darren Moore recently took charge - proved stubborn opponents, and Kieran McKenna's men were ultimately grateful to gain one point as substitute Brandon Williams snatched a late leveller at the John Smith's Stadium.
Sitting second in the Championship table as a result, just two points shy of leaders Leicester City, Ipswich have adapted seamlessly to life in the second tier after finally winning promotion from League One last season, and their only loss so far was an eventful 4-3 reverse to Leeds United back in August.
Including that seven-goal thriller, the Tractor Boys have scored at least twice in each of their last 14 league matches at Portman Road; winning on twelve occasions and netting 49 goals at an average of 3.5 per game.
Curiously, Ipswich are also unbeaten in 17 midweek league fixtures since December 2021, so precedent is certainly on their side heading towards Tuesday evening.
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Hull City can look to the history books for inspiration, too, as the Tigers - who were beaten 2-1 when the clubs last met in 2021 - have not lost consecutive league games to Ipswich for some 64 years.
Not only that, but Hull have come out on top in each of their last six league visits to Portman Road, conceding just one goal in the process - a remarkable run stretching between 2011 and 2020.
Under head coach Liam Rosenior, the East Yorkshire side can pose a threat to one of the Championship's early pace-setters on current form too, as their long unbeaten streak was preserved with a 1-1 home draw against Plymouth Argyle at the weekend.
Pulling his team level just before the break, Regan Slater scored for a second successive game to take Hull's undefeated tally up to eight; leaving them fifth in the table with 16 points from their first nine matches.
While Ipswich excel at home, City now travel to Suffolk having won each of their last three away fixtures and aiming to win four on the spin for the first time in over a decade. It was late 2012 when Hull last achieved such a feat, with Rosenior playing in three of those matches.
Team News
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Set to take his place in the hosts' midfield, Ipswich Town captain Sam Morsy returns from suspension, after missing the trip to Huddersfield having already accumulated five bookings.
Morsy's stand-in as skipper on Saturday, Lee Evans, came off with a knee injury and may have to sit out Hull City's visit, while Nathan Broadhead could remain sidelined with a thigh problem.
Meanwhile, Vaclav Hladky continues to deputise for Christian Walton in goal, with Freddie Ladapo, George Hirst and Kayden Jackson fighting it out for selection as Town's central striker.
Hull also have one of their key players back from a ban on Tuesday, as Jacob Greaves is available again after missing the draw with Plymouth; Sean McLoughlin should drop down to the bench.
Still struggling with a muscular problem, Ozan Tufan is facing a week-long injury layoff, leaving Liverpool loanee Tyler Morton the chance to feature in midfield again. Harry Vaughan and Allahyar Sayyadmanesh also remain absent.
Republic of Ireland forward Aaron Connolly is set to start up front, beating Liam Delap to selection after netting five goals in nine league games so far.
Ipswich Town possible starting lineup:
Hladky; Clarke, Woolfenden, Burgess, Davis; Morsy, Luongo; Burns, Chaplin, Hutchinson; Hirst
Hull City possible starting lineup:
Allsop; Christie, Greaves, Jones, Vinagre; Seri, Morton; Philogene, Traore, Slater; Connolly
We say: Ipswich Town 2-2 Hull City
As both teams certainly know where the net is - averaging over 1.5 goals per game - there could be plenty of penalty-box action at Portman Road. Entertainment is almost guaranteed, but it may be that a share of the spoils sees either side preserve their unbeaten run.
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Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
