Liverpool’s search for their first Premier League victory under Andoni Iraola continues at Portman Road on Friday evening, where promoted Ipswich Town will attempt to recover from a bruising trip to Manchester United.

The Reds have opened their campaign with consecutive 2-2 draws against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest, while Ipswich have three points after beating Sunderland before suffering a 5-2 defeat at Old Trafford. Liverpool’s £123m deadline-day capture of Bradley Barcola adds another layer of intrigue to a fixture Iraola can ill afford to leave without maximum points.

Ipswich must prove Old Trafford collapse was an exception

Gary O’Neil could take plenty of encouragement from Ipswich’s opening weeks until everything unravelled against Manchester United.

The Tractor Boys announced their return to the Premier League with a dramatic 2-1 home victory over Sunderland, Jack Clarke deciding the contest in the 90th minute. They subsequently beat Leicester City 3-1 in the EFL Cup, extending an excellent run of results at Portman Road.

Even at Old Trafford, there was initially little sign of the punishment to come.

Leif Davis put Ipswich ahead inside the opening half-hour, but their defensive structure subsequently disappeared as United scored five times, including a Bruno Fernandes hat-trick. Jacob Greaves’s own goal compounded an afternoon on which O’Neil was particularly frustrated by how rapidly his team lost control.

That response to adversity will be important against Liverpool.

Ipswich cannot expect to dominate possession, but Iraola’s side have already demonstrated considerable vulnerability when opponents break through their first line of pressure. Newcastle scored twice against them before Forest repeated the feat at Anfield, so there should be opportunities if the hosts can move the ball quickly into attacking areas.

O’Neil’s personnel problems make that task harder.

Jaden Philogene-Bidace is ruled out with an ankle injury, while Emersonn’s knee problem could leave Chuba Akpom leading the attack. Abdul Fatawu and Daizen Maeda are options on either side, with Julio Enciso providing the connection from the number 10 position.

There are shortages in midfield too. Azor Matusiwa and Jack Taylor are injured, while Florentino Luís remains doubtful. Marcelino Núñez and Saša Lukić may therefore be asked to protect a defence that endured such a difficult afternoon in Manchester.

Returning to Suffolk should nevertheless restore some confidence. Ipswich have won six of their last seven matches in all competitions, and both of their competitive home fixtures this season have ended in victory.

Liverpool’s expensive rebuild needs to start producing results

Two games, two points and four goals conceded is not the beginning Iraola envisaged when taking over at Anfield. Liverpool have at least demonstrated resilience. They recovered to draw 2-2 at Newcastle on the opening weekend and twice came from behind against Nottingham Forest, with Victor Muñoz eventually rescuing another point late on.

The problem is that repeatedly needing to rescue matches is hardly a sustainable formula. Liverpool’s defensive balance has been questionable in both league games, while their collection of expensive attacking players has yet to develop into a consistently functioning unit. Alexander Isak has not been supplied with enough quality service, and Florian Wirtz is still finding his place within Iraola’s system.

The club’s response was emphatic. After moves for Yankuba Minteh, Ismaïla Sarr and Malo Gusto failed to materialise, Liverpool completed a £123m deal for Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola before the window closed. His arrival gives Iraola another elite one-on-one attacker and significantly increases the competition for places across Liverpool’s forward line.

Friday may come too soon for Barcola to start. Cody Gakpo, Wirtz and Muñoz could operate behind Isak, with the Frenchman introduced later if Liverpool need greater penetration.

Injuries continue to restrict options elsewhere. Hugo Ekitike is recovering from a ruptured Achilles, Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley remain out following serious knee injuries, Joe Gomez has a muscle problem and Federico Chiesa is yet to feature this season because of a back issue.

That leaves Jeremy Jacquet as the likely partner for Virgil van Dijk, with Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez at full-back.

Whatever the personnel, Iraola needs greater defensive security. Liverpool have enough attacking talent to overpower most opponents, but conceding twice in each of their first two matches has turned games they would expect to win into frantic battles for points.

Verdict: Liverpool’s attacking depth should finally tell

Ipswich’s 5-2 defeat at Manchester United looks alarming on paper, but dismissing O’Neil’s side on that evidence alone would be a mistake.

They led at Old Trafford, have already beaten Sunderland and Leicester at Portman Road and should find opportunities against a Liverpool defence that has looked uncomfortable whenever matches become stretched.

The greater pressure unquestionably sits with the visitors, though. Another draw would leave Liverpool winless after three matches and immediately raise questions about their ability to compete near the top under Iraola. After another enormous investment in Barcola, there can be few excuses regarding the attacking resources available to him.

Ipswich are capable of making this uncomfortable and may well score, but Liverpool possess too many potential match-winners for the hosts to contain over 90 minutes. Isak, Wirtz and Gakpo already represent a formidable group before Barcola is introduced.

Liverpool may not solve all of their defensive problems in one evening, but they should finally solve their problem of turning attacking quality into three points.

Tip

Liverpool to win and both teams to score.