Maidstone United could scarcely have asked for tougher opposition if they tried.

Ipswich Town have played 14 matches at home in the Championship this season. They have won ten of them. That league loss came against fellow promotion contenders Leeds United and their only other loss at home in all competitions was against Premier League Fulham.

In those 17 home matches in all competitions, they have scored two or more in 14. They have also scored three or more in nine. Kieran McKenna’s side are simply exceptional in front of their own fans.

There may be concerns about them playing a weakened XI but injuries mean some regulars are likely to play regardless, especially with them not having another game until the following weekend, and their second string have seen off Bristol Rovers, Reading, Wolves and AFC Wimbledon in cup competitions already, scoring at least two in each.

It means that Maidstone face an uphill battle. While George Elokobi’s side remain in the promotion picture in the National League South, their away form has been a cause for concern recently. They have lost five of their last six, conceding two or more in all five of those defeats, losing 3-2, 4-0 and 5-1 during that run. This could be a tough afternoon for them.

This is a difficult selection. Ipswich Town are such heavy favourites that the odds of them producing goalmouth action are very small.

We wouldn’t put anybody off backing Ipswich to produce a truly dominant display. They have had 13 or more shots in 15 of their 17 home matches and managed five or more shots on target in 12 of those.

However, they are 1.30 to have 8 or more shots on target in this game, while playing a team that won’t contain too many regulars and against opposition that are likely to flood the centre of the pitch to deny them.

The problem is, they don’t concede many chances either. They have conceded no more than three shots on target in their last six home matches in the Championship – far stronger opposition than they will be up against this weekend.

Maidstone did impressive things against Barrow and Stevenage but both were in home games against sides that are primarily strong defensively, rather than superb going forward, making this a very different test. They had 13 shots across those two games and conceded four shots on target in both.

Given all of the above, our best bet in the shots markets is Jack Taylor. He has scored in four of his 11 starts this season and has found the target 0.87 times per 90 minutes in that time. With Maidstone likely to play deep, Taylor will have opportunities to strike from range and with the number of shots on target likely to be had, it makes sense to back him at 1.44.

The expectation is that Ipswich Town are going to be utterly dominant as far as possession and territory is concerned, so them earning a high number of corner kicks is likely.

It’s a difficult comparison to make from Championship games to an FA Cup tie against a side playing four divisions below, but we believe it makes sense to back Ipswich to have a lot of corners. They will pen Maidstone in towards their own goal with deflected shots, cleared crosses and goalkeeper saves likely.

Ipswich have had five or more corners in 11 of their 14 home matches in the Championship and six or more in ten of those. Given these numbers, backing seven or more at 1.50 feels like a smart bet.

Will they concede many? It depends on how brave Maidstone are. They had three corners kicks against both Barrow and Stevenage and will know that dead ball situations may be their best route to goal. Ipswich have conceded three or more corner kicks in 22 of their 27 matches but the other five all came during home matches.

Cards look like the best opportunity to win some money on this game.

Ipswich Town have been dogged and horrible to play against this season. Their success isn’t based on just being nice with the ball and having clear patterns of play, but showing a willingness to do the dirty work as well.

McKenna’s side have committed at least 10 fouls in all but four of their matches in all competitions and collected two or more cards in 13 of their 17 matches at home, picking up at least one on 15 occasions.

Maidstone will spend the game looking for opportunities to break forward and they did that job pretty well against Chesham United, Barrow and Stevenage, drawing two or more cards in all three FA Cup main draw matches. They drew a whopping 20 fouls against Stevenage and there is every chance that they catch an Ipswich reserve cold as legs tire.

On the flip side, Ipswich are clearly a very good team that draw a lot of fouls and a lot of cards, especially in the speed with which they attack. They are dangerous. They have drawn two or more in 12 of their last 15 matches at home and Maidstone will do everything they can to stop them finding chinks in their armour.