On this same weekend two years ago, Town travelled to Exeter in League One. They won 2-0 thanks to goals from Freddie Ladapo and Marcus Harness.
Fast forward 24 months, and they’re preparing to host the world’s most famous club in a Premier League fixture, having just beaten Spurs away.
It’s frankly ridiculous how far Town have come, so fast. As one former Blues boss was fond of saying, it’s ‘nae normal.’
Whatever happens this weekend, these are games to be enjoyed, in an incredible period for Ipswich Town Football Club.
Portman Road will be packed out, both in the stands and in the various state-of-the-art new press facilities laid on for the world’s media.
Having had 300 accredited media in attendance for the season-opener with Liverpool, numbers have dwindled as the Premier League hype machine moved elsewhere. That won’t be the case today!
Indeed, it’s no exaggeration to suggest that that the eyes of world football will be trained on Suffolk. As Kieran McKenna opined at Monday night’s fan forum, this could well be the biggest game in the sport globally this weekend.
He said: “It’s the biggest game in world football anywhere this weekend.Â
“The biggest game in the world in the biggest sport in the world and it’s at Portman Road, it’s in Ipswich.”
Reflecting that, Sky Sports will be in attendance for Town’s first ‘Super Sunday’ of the season. The new TV studio above the players’ tunnel will get its first outing too.
On every level, this is a game that gets the juices flowing – there are storylines galore…
There’s so much narrative around this match that James Earl Jones should be doing the voiceovers.
It’s Ruben Amorim’s first game in charge of Manchester United. Can the ‘Second Special One’ – as some are calling him – finally be the man who restores United to their place at the peak of world football? Or will he just be the latest in a long line of high-profile failures? Right from game one, the pressure will be on.
Oh, and Kieran McKenna is squaring off with United for the first time since he left his post as assistant manager to take over at Town. The brilliant young boss was heavily linked with the top job at Old Trafford over the summer and has often spoken of his love for the club.
He’ll be desperate to get one over on his former employers today. As will Town defender Axel Tuanzebe, who spent eight years at United and came through their youth ranks to play in the Champions League for the Red Devils.
On top of that, there’s the more general question of whether Town can build on their big win at Spurs last week by taking another Big Six scalp in Suffolk and start to pull away from the bottom three.
It’s an absolute belter.
Ever since the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down as United boss back in 2013, after winning everything there was to be won, it feels like there’s been a malaise hanging over Old Trafford.
For years, they’ve had the same issues – spectacular individual talents who consistently fail to gel as a team for a variety of reasons.
In Amorim they’ve got one of the brightest young bosses in the game, but he has a huge task on his hands if he is to succeed where so many other big names have failed.
That was made more complicated by a delay in getting his work permit, on top of all the logistical hurdles of starting a new job in a new country over the space of an international break.
Adding to that challenge, many of his players were away over the break, and thus he’s had very little time to work with them ahead of this trip to Suffolk.
“I don’t think he will fully be able to get his methodologies across because some of the players don’t come back from international duty until late in the week,” pundit Andros Townsend said on Radio Five Live earlier this week.
“Amorim’s biggest problem from now until Christmas is going to be time on the training pitch.”
For the first time this season, Kieran McKenna must decide whether to change a winning team.
There are debates to be had around several spots in the XI, not least who starts alongside skipper Sam Morsy in midfield. Kalvin Phillips is back from suspension, but Jens Cajuste was superb in the win at Spurs.
There’s a question at the heart of the defence too, assuming Jacob Greaves is fit to return after missing time with a hamstring injury. Cameron Burgess has performed admirably in his absence though, so does McKenna stick with the big Australian at CB?
One-man army Liam Delap will surely start up top – and he’ll be licking his lips looking at a potentially patched-up United backline – but does McKenna stick with the same trio behind him?
At Spurs, it was more 3-4-3 than 4-2-3-1 after fit-again defender Tuanzebe came in for attacker Conor Chaplin. That provided a more solid base on the road. Back at Portman Road, will there be four forward players on the pitch again? Chaplin was unfortunate to lose his spot after performing well against Leicester. Exciting, tricky left winger Jack Clarke is another option.
As ever, we’ll find out at 3.15pm.
Since pre-season, I’ve been predicting that Town would beat Manchester United in this game.
Given everything going on around United, and the unexpected boost of the win at Spurs, I feel even more confident going into this one.
It won’t be easy, of course. United have plenty of world class players who you’d imagine will be keen to impress their new boss, but I really feel like Town are trending upwards.
McKenna will have his side prepped to perfection, and in front of that rabid, visceral home support, I think they’ll get a famous win.
And what a statement that would be. I’ll say 3-2 Town.
Â