In The Mixer: How will Leicester and Ipswich fare in the Premier League?

In The Mixer is FST’s weekly column where we catch up with our team of football betting experts and get their opinion on the hot topic of the week.

The curtain came down on the Championship season at the weekend and the two teams left bowing to the crowd were confirmed as champions Leicester and runners-up Ipswich, with the latter achieving remarkable back-to-back promotions under Keiran McKenna.

The drama is not over yet, of course, with the Championship play-offs still to come, but we’ve rounded up some expert opinions on how the promoted duo will fare in the top flight next season.

Aaron Rogan

Both Leicester and Ipswich will benefit from having set styles of play, but the squads as they are won’t be strong enough to stave off relegation.

The main concern for both is the financial side of things, with the Premier League set to tighten restrictions heading into the 2024/25 campaign.

Ipswich are just a year removed from playing League One football, while Leicester are already reported to have a points hit waiting for them once they return to the top flight.

If the new regulations lead to tight purse strings for the pair, expect another gruelling season for all the promoted sides.

Phil Agius

Anything other than a negative outlook would be foolhardy given the performances of last season’s promoted trio – Sheffield United collected 91 points in the Championship last season but probably aren’t going to reach 20 this year.

It will be even tougher for Ipswich after they passed straight through the Championship and will be kicking off in the Premier League just 15 months after finishing runners-up in League One.

Of the two, Leicester should have the better chance to stay up given their Premier League pedigree, but there’s not much top-flight talent left in their team and the 2015-16 champions are going to need a lot more than a 37-year-old Jamie Vardy to re-establish themselves among the big guns.

Liam Flin

Although only one point separated the clubs in the final Championship standings, I expect Leicester to fare much better than Ipswich.

The transfer embargo hanging over Leicester is naturally a concern, as is the uncertainty over the future of manager Enzo Maresca.

That said, there are still Premier League-ready players in their squad from Ricardo Pereira to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to Kasey McAteer and I think they are a stronger unit than some of the sides in the lower echelons of the top flight this season.

Ipswich’s chances will boil down to player retention and what they can do in the transfer market.

Whether or not they keep hold of Omari Hutchinson and Jeremy Sarmiento remains to be seen, but they have an excellent motivator and tactician in Kieran McKenna and should put up a fight.

Henry Hardwicke

Leicester have a financial fair play storm to overcome, while Ipswich will need a cash injection to strengthen their squad, but I think both sides have a strong chance of staying in the Premier League.

Sure, Sheffield United are heading straight back to the Championship and they may be joined by fellow promoted sides Luton and Burnley, but those two teams haven’t been cut adrift and they have shown that they can be competitive in the top flight.

Leicester look to have a squad strong enough to transition back to the Premier League, while Ipswich have an excellent manager who has created a harmonious club.

Matthew Ireland

Much will depend on how things play out off the pitch this summer for Leicester. Enzo Maresca is not certain to still be in charge on the first day of the campaign as he seeks assurances that he will be able to add the quality required due to the club’s current transfer embargo.

I certainly think they’ll be in and around the bottom three and could be in real trouble if Maresca does leave or if he, or any successor, is unable to add to the Foxes’ squad.

Ipswich’s story is a remarkable one and Kieran McKenna is a seriously talented coach. However, no side outperformed their expected points total to a greater extent than Ipswich this season – 96 to 82 – suggesting that they have been streaky at times. How they fare at Portman Road will be crucial and their campaign may mimic that of Luton’s this term – a valiant battle but ultimately in vain.

James Mason

Leicester have a squad packed with Premier League experience and, if they can make some astute signings in the summer, they should have more than enough to comfortably avoid relegation.

Whether Enzo Maresca stays or leaves, it shouldn’t really have much of an impact on the squad as there were murmurings of discontent about his style this season anyway, so a new manager could end up helping the team.

It has been an incredible story for Ipswich over the last two campaigns and they will undoubtedly give it everything to ensure they don’t drop straight back down to the Championship.

How quickly Kieran McKenna adapts to managing in the Premier League will have a big bearing on the Tractor Boys’ fate, as he will need to be careful in adopting the attack-minded approach that has worked so well in the lower leagues.

I expect Ipswich to battle braving against the drop but, ultimately, they may fall short in their survival quest.

Jack Ogalbe

Leicester’s best players left after last season’s relegation and the squad that won the Championship looks like a strong second-tier group rather than a solid top-flight one.

Off-field issues mean they may struggle to recruit and they must find an alternative to Jamie Vardy. The skipper inspired the latter part of their season but, while I expect him to explode back into the Premier League in August, he can’t go on forever.

Ipswich also need new players but might be best served by bedding them in as the season progresses. Several of their League One promotion winners kicked on in the Championship and the confidence gained from those successes could help build early momentum, especially at Portman Road.

Kieran McKenna is an astute coach but, like Leicester’s Enzo Maresca, his shrewdness on the training ground and in the transfer market may not be enough to engineer a successful survival push.

Build better bets with our free betting tips, predictions and accumulators, every day.

More betting news:

View All Today’s Football Tips

Betting Academy: See our complete guide to football betting

Free Super Tips is the home of Free Football Tips. Make sure to take a look at our most popular betting tips, such as our Accumulator Tips and Both Teams To Score Tips.