x

Town End Week-Long Training Camp With Friendly at Blau-Weiß Linz - Ipswich Town News

Town end their week-long training camp when they face Austrian Bundesliga side Blau-Weiß Linz at their Hofmann Personal Stadion on Saturday evening (KO 5pm UK time, 6pm local time).

It’s the third year that the Blues have staged their annual training camp in Austria, each time at a different venue.

This summer Town have been based at a sports complex owned by lower division side SV Windischgarsten.

Saturday’s match will be Town’s second of pre-season, Peterborough United having visited Playford Road for a behind closed doors game last Saturday, Posh, who are further advanced in their preparations for 2025/26, winning 1-0.

Blau-Weiß Linz, who finished sixth in their division last season, are also further through their pre-season with Saturday’s match their fourth friendly.

They were beaten 1-0 at home, although not at their stadium, by Czech title holders Slavia Prague on July 5th, then drew 2-2 with Serbian champions Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade) at Windischgarsten, where Town have been training, four days later.

Last Saturday, they defeated Town’s old friends Fortuna Düsseldorf at FC Hertha Wels’s HUBER Arena, which is just to the west of Linz, Austria’s third-biggest city.

The Blues are likely to field a different XI in each half, as is common at this stage of pre-season.

Skipper Sam Morsy, who is completing his move to Kuwait SC, and Omari Hutchinson, who was given an extended break having been with the victorious England U21s squad at the Euros, are among those not with the squad.

Wes Burns is continuing his rehab from his ACL, while Aro Muric also may not be involved as he returns from shoulder surgery.

Chieo Ogbene and Jaden Philogene have both been pictured training with their teammates and look set to play some part following, respectively, their achilles and MCL injuries.

New signings Cedric Kipre and Azor Matusiwa will play their first games in Town shirts, while David Button is one of a number of keepers with the squad and so may not be involved.

Youngsters Leon Ayinde and Finley Barbrook have both been spotted in the footage released by the club over the course of the week and are likely to get minutes. You can read a TWTD blog on who might feature for the Austrian side here.

As suggested by their name, Blau-Weiß Linz also wear blue and white, so there could be an early outing for Town’s red away strip.

The game is being shown live on TownTV with match passes available for £4.99 here. TWTD will be in Austria reporting on the game and giving the post-match reaction.

What to read next:

U18s Host West Brom in First U18 Premier League Fixture
Town’s U18s will start their first ever U18 Premier League South campaign with a home game against West Bromwich Albion at Playford Road on Saturday 16th August (KO 11am).
Ndaba Completes Lecce Move
Former Town defender Corrie Ndaba has completed his move from Scottish Premiership Kilmarnock to Serie A Lecce.
McKenna: Hirst Primed For Good Season
Town boss Kieran McKenna believes striker George Hirst is “primed to have a good season” for the Blues, the frontman having netted three times in the Blues’ two public friendlies.
Hirst: Scotland Call-Up Has Made Me a Better Player
Town striker George Hirst says he has taken a lot from being in the Scotland squad and feels the international recognition has made him a better player.
[Podcast] Blue Monday - New Podcast Now Online
A new podcast from the Blue Monday team is now available.
Town 'Willing to Pay Hackney £35,000-a-Week'
Town are reportedly willing to pay Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney £35,000-a-week, TWTD having revealed that the Blues had made an approach for the 23-year-old almost a fortnight ago.
U21s Defeated By Luton
A strong Blues U21s side was beaten 2-1 by Luton Town at Bent Lane in a pre-season friendly on Saturday afternoon with Tommy Taylor's first-half strike cancelled out after the break by a much-improved Hatters side.
U19s Draw and Lose Final Games at Czech Tournament
Town’s U19s finished lost one and drew one of today’s place play-off matches at the Zlaty Kahan tournament in Czechia.
Hirst: Early Confrontation Sign of Morsy's High Standards
George Hirst has revealed he almost came to blows with departed captain Sam Morsy early in his Town career, but believes the incident was illustrative of the high standards maintained by the former Blues skipper.
Former Town Defender Ndaba Set For Serie A
Former Town defender Corrie Ndaba is set to join Serie A Lecce from Scottish Premiership Kilmarnock, according to reports in Italy.