Ipswich Town and Sunderland confirm starting XIs for Premier League opener at Portman Road
Ipswich Town will host Sunderland at Portman Road in a Premier League 2026-27 Matchday 1 fixture on Saturday, August 22, 2026, and both clubs have published their confirmed starting lineups ahead of the season opener.
Ipswich returned to the top flight after a 22-year absence after finishing second in the EFL Championship and will seek a winning start under Gary O’Neil. Sunderland, who secured promotion last season and finished seventh, begin the campaign under Régis Le Bris in his second season in charge. Ipswich have been active in the transfer market and the club could hand debuts to Julio Enciso, Abdul Fatawu and Florentino Luis. The report also notes Brazilian striker Emersonn will be an important figure for his new team.
Ipswich’s selected starting XI reads: Kjell Scherpen; Dara O’Shea, Issa Diop, Jacob Greaves, Leif Davis; Sasa Lukic, Marcelino Nunez; Abdul Fatawu, Julio Enciso, Daizen Maeda; Emersonn da Silva. The substitutes named on the Ipswich bench are Christian Walton (gk), Darnell Furlong, Cedric Kipre, Sindre Walle Egeli, Kasey McAteer, Chuba Akpom, Cameron Humphreys, Abdoul Ouattara and Jack Clarke.
Sunderland’s starting XI is listed as Robin Roefs; Thomas Meunier, Luke O’Nien, Daniel Ballard, Reinildo Mandava; Granit Xhaka, Noah Sadiki; Trai Hume, Enzo Le Fee, Nilson Angulo; Brian Brobbey. The Sunderland bench contains Melker Ellborg (gk), Chemsdine Talbi, Chris Rigg, Romaine Mundle, Omar Alderete, Wilson Isidor, Habib Diarra, Nordi Mukiele and Jocelin Ta Bi.
For further coverage and real-time updates, the report directs readers to Khel Now’s social channels and apps across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, the Khel Now Android App and iOS App, and to community groups on WhatsApp and Telegram. The piece was written by Sushruta, who has spent over two years covering football and reports on Indian and international competitions.
The Matchday 1 fixture will be played on Saturday, August 22, 2026; in India the match will kick off at 7:30 PM IST and the game takes place at Portman Road in Ipswich, England.
