Phillips, Burgess and Chaplin: Ipswich Town injury news and return dates ahead of Crystal Palace trip

Ipswich Town were promoted from the Championship last season against the odds. They finished 2nd in the table behind Leicester City and went up along with Southampton.

It has been a tough season in the Premier League for all three of the promoted teams though. They are in the bottom three together behind Wolves and are all facing an immediate relegation back to the Football League unless they can turn their fortunes around quick.

The Tractor Boys were beaten on penalties by Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup last time out. They are back in action this weekend with an away trip to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace.

Ipswich Town defensive injuries

Christian Walton - out. The goalkeeper has been out of action for Ipswich over recent times. Their boss Kieran McKenna has said: “He's back doing some work on the grass with the goalkeeper coaches. He's not involved with the team yet, so we will see how he progresses. He is moving in the right direction.” Expected return date: 01/04/2025.

Cameron Burgess - out. He is sidelined with a calf problem and it remains to be seen exactly when he will be able to play again for the Tractor Boys which isn’t ideal. Expected return date: Unknown.

Axel Tuanzebe - out. The defender has sustained a hamstring injury and like Burgess, it is yet to be known how severe it is so a return date cannot be given at this stage. Expected return date: Unknown.

Kalvin Phillips - needs to be assessed. Ipswich will need to make checks on the Manchester City loan man over the coming days to determine whether he is fit to face Crystal Palace. McKenna has said: “Kalvin is progressing well, but we're not exactly sure when he's going to be back. He's not training with the group today or for the next few days. That's a day-by-day case.” Expected return date: 08/03/2025.

Ipswich Town attacking woes

Wesley Burns - out. The former Bristol City man suffered an ACL injury and is out for a long-term basis. His head coach said: “He had surgery to repair his ACL, and thankfully, it all went well. There wasn't too much damage to the other parts of the knee, so it was as positive as it could be.” Expected return date: 01/01/2026.

Chiedozie Ogbene - out. He arrived at Portman Road from Luton Town last summer but it has been a frustrating first campaign for him. McKenna has said: “Chiedozie had surgery yesterday. It was an Achilles tear. It's unlikely he'll play much, if any, football this season. Will be looking at preparing for next season.” Expected return date: 01/06/2025.

Omari Hutchinson - out. The winger is out of action for the next few games with a knee injury. His manager shared this latest update recently: “Omari has had some scans. It's an injury to the knee area. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem to be very, very serious, but it's still significant. He certainly won’t be involved in the next game and possibly the next few games, so that’s very disappointing.” Expected return date: 12/04/2025.

Julio Enciso - out. The Brighton and Hove Albion loanee remains in the treatment room with a knee injury. McKenna has said: “[Enciso] is not training on the pitch yet, but he's progressing well. He's working hard in the gym now and, hopefully, will be out on the grass soon.” Expected return date: 01/04/2025.

Samuel Szmodics - out. He will need to be checked on after suffering a reoccurence of his ankle issues. McKenna has said: “'Sammie [has] had a reoccurrence of the ankle injury that he had.” Expected return date: Unknown.

Conor Chaplin - out. Like Szmodics, an exact return date isn’t certain right now. His head coach has said: “Conor [has] had a reoccurrence of the knee injury that he had.” Expected return date: Unknown.