Preview: Aberdeen vs Ipswich Town - prediction, team news, lineups

Aberdeen and Ipswich Town will continue their preparations for the 2025-26 season when they face off in Friday’s friendly at Pittodrie. 

The Dons got the better of Cove Rangers in their first outing of pre-season, while the Tractor Boys cruised past BW Linz last weekend.

Match preview

Aberdeen would have been underwhelmed with last season's fifth-place finish after they made such a positive start with 10 wins and one draw in their opening 11 Scottish Premiership games. 

However, they won just five of their next 27 matches (D7, L15) as they dropped below Rangers, Hibernian and Dundee United in the standings.

While their league campaign may have tailed off, Aberdeen still made the 2024-25 campaign one to remember with a triumphant run in the Scottish Cup, which culminated in a penalty shootout victory in May's final against Celtic.

After lifting the Scottish Cup for the first time since 1989-90, the Dons are now looking forward to participating in the Europa League playoff round, which will take place in the final two weeks of August.

Jimmy Thelin's side kicked off their short pre-season schedule with a 2-0 victory against Scottish League One side Cove Rangers earlier this month, thanks to goals from Ante Palaverse and Nicky Devlin.

They have not played an official friendly since that win, although Kusini Yengi scored in a recent behind-closed-doors match against Premier League Fulham, which ultimately resulted in a heavy 4-1 defeat.

Aberdeen will be looking for a better result in their final outing of pre-season, as they look to build momentum ahead of their opening Scottish Premiership game against Hearts on August 4.

Ipswich are back competing in the Championship after their first experience of top-flight football in 22 years proved to be a brief one.

The Tractor Boys recorded just four victories in 38 Premier League matches (D10, L24), as they finished in 19th place and 16 points adrift of safety.

After getting a taste of the Premier League, Ipswich will be hoping to secure an immediate return by replicating their 2023-24 Championship campaign, which saw them collect 96 points from 46 matches to finish in second place behind Leicester City.

The recently-relegated side failed to win any of their final eight matches of the 2024-25 season, so they would have been relieved to start their preparations for the new campaign with a dominant display against Austrian side Blau-Weiss Linz.

George Hirst netted a first-half brace, before Ali Al-Hamadi and Leif Davis grabbed a goal apiece to fire Ipswich to a 4-1 victory at the Donauparkstadion.

Kieran McKenna's charges will now head to Scotland for a meeting with Aberdeen, before they wrap up their pre-season schedule with games against fellow Championship side Charlton Athletic and Ligue 1 outfit Auxerre.

The Ipswich boss will be looking for his team to build momentum and confidence ahead of their season opener against newly-promoted Birmingham City on August 8. 

Aberdeen pre-season form:

Ipswich Town pre-season form:

Team News

Aberdeen have made a number of permanent additions this summer, having recruited Nick Suman, Nicolas Milanovic, Emmanuel Gyamfi, Kjartan Mar Kjartansson and Yengi.

The Dons have also recruited defender Alfie Dorrington and attacker Adil Aouchiche on loan from Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland, respectively. 

Winger Vicente Besuijen will not feature in Friday's friendly after recently completing a loan move to Finnish side HJK Helsinki. 

As for the visitors, they have seen a number of players leave this summer, including the notable departure of striker Liam Delap to Chelsea.

They have bolstered McKenna's squad with the additions of goalkeeper David Button, defender Cedric Kipre and midfielder Azor Matusiwa.

Ipswich have also recruited experienced full-back Ashley Young, who could feature in the matchday squad after being unveiled on Wednesday.

Aberdeen possible starting lineup:

Mitov; Devlin, Dorrington, Knoester, Gyamfi; Palaversa, Shinnie; Milanovic, Clarkson, Aouchiche; Yengi

Ipswich Town possible starting lineup:

Palmer; Johnson, Kipre, O'Shea, Townsend; Matusiwa, Humphreys; Philogene, Szmodics, Clarke; Hirst

We say: Aberdeen 1-2 Ipswich Town

Ipswich may have experienced a tough season in the Premier League, but they still boast a number of talented players in their squad, and we think they may have the extra quality required to record a narrow victory in Friday's clash with Aberdeen. 

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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