With a relatively even skill gap, Gary O'Neal urges Ipswich to prepare for their match against Leicester City.

Newly promoted Premier League side Ipswich Town will host Championship side Leicester City at Portman Road in the second round of the 2026/27 EFL Cup. Gary O'Neill stated in a press conference that his team must be prepared to meet the challenge posed by Leicester.

In the first round of the new Premier League season, Ipswich Town defeated Sunderland 2-1 with goals from Emerson and Jack Clark, securing a winning start.

In their head-to-head record, Ipswich Town has a record of 3 draws and 2 losses in their last 5 matches against Leicester City, so this game will definitely be a big challenge for the "Tractor Boys".

Ipswich Town coach Gary O'Neill said, "The gap between the two teams looks much smaller. We were in the same league last season and played each other twice, so we know each other very well."

“Leicester has a Premier League-caliber manager, Russell Martin, who previously led Southampton in the Premier League and has a distinctive style of football. This will be a very tough game for us, especially after such an emotionally charged victory against Sunderland.”

Gary O'Neill pointed out, "We have to make sure we readjust and stay grounded because Leicester won't care that we beat Sunderland. They'll come here to cause us trouble and put pressure on us, and we have to be prepared."

"This is an important game for us, and I just want to keep winning. This is a very strong team, and I think we are in a good position right now."

In addition, Gary O'Neal stated, "We've made a lot of improvements to our roster, so we have the ability to rotate players. However, we will choose a lineup that can win games."

"At the same time, we will also try to make some adjustments because the next week is very important, and some of the players are not actually 100% back in form."

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