Ipswich Town backed to survive Premier League return as new season gets underway
The Blues begin their first season back in the top flight against Sunderland at Portman Road on Saturday
Ipswich Town have been backed to secure Premier League survival as the Blues prepare to begin life back in the top flight.
The new Premier League season got underway on Friday night, with reigning champions Arsenal hosting newly-promoted Coventry City at 8pm.
For Suffolk supporters, attention will then turn to Portman Road on Saturday afternoon, when Ipswich begin their first Premier League campaign since winning promotion from the Championship.
Town face Sunderland at 3pm in Gary O'Neil's first competitive league game in charge.
Ahead of the new campaign, Rich, who runs Ipswich Town fan channel The Suffolk Crunch, has predicted the Blues will finish 16th — keeping them clear of an immediate return to the Championship.
He said he expects a "successful" and "exciting" season under O'Neil, although warned that competing in the Premier League would be "very, very hard".
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Rich said: "We all know what the Premier League's like — it's very, very unforgiving. But I think Town have got enough at the moment."
Town return to the Premier League
Ipswich are one of three promoted sides entering the Premier League this season alongside Coventry City and Hull City.
It marks a swift return to the division for the Blues following their relegation at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.
Reflecting on that season, Rich pointed to the scale of the challenge Town faced, having collected 22 points and four victories.
This time around, however, he believes Ipswich are better placed to compete.
Rich has put Town 16th in his predicted Premier League table and said he believes the campaign will be a successful one for O'Neil.
However, he believes further additions are still needed before the transfer window closes.
He said: "We still want to add some more players. We still need a striker. We still need another centre midfielder. Definitely another centre-back."
The club's current first-team squad includes summer additions such as Issa Diop, Azor Matusiwa, Saša Lukić, Abdul Fatawu and Daizen Maeda.
Sunderland tipped for difficult season
Saturday's opponents Sunderland, are heading into their second successive Premier League campaign.
Rich believes they could face a more difficult season this time around, predicting the Black Cats will finish 19th.
Explaining his prediction, he suggested Sunderland could suffer from "second season syndrome" and said he expects them to struggle.
That makes Saturday's meeting an important early opportunity for Ipswich to put points on the board, although the season will quickly present tougher tests.
After Sunderland, Town travel to Manchester United on August 30 before welcoming Liverpool to Portman Road on September 4.
Who will win the Premier League?
Rich has also made his predictions for the other end of the table.
He has tipped Arsenal to retain the Premier League title, with Chelsea second, Manchester City third and Liverpool completing his predicted top four.
The Blues fan said he "can't see" Arsenal failing to win the title, while predicting Liverpool could have greater success in cup competitions.
For Ipswich, though, the immediate target will be establishing themselves in the Premier League — beginning against Sunderland at Portman Road on Saturday.