It’s derby day in East Anglia as Norwich look to continue their excellent recent form against arch rivals Ipswich. With just one point separating the two club who occupy positions in the play-off zone, and within touching distance of the top two, the match takes on even more importance than it normally would. The Canaries have won their last five including two very impressive, and successive, away wins at against Watford and Blackburn. Although they turned in a few very good performances under previous manager Neil Adams earlier in the season, they struggled for consistency, and if they are able to maintain a similar level of performance as they’ve shown in the past week then they are genuine challengers for automatic promotion. Ipswich never had the same expectation placed upon them as Norwich did at the beginning of the season but they’re the club who have been in the play-off positions for much of the season. They’ve scored 12 less than their rivals but their system works for them and it’s one that Mick McCarthy has used to great effect with both Sunderland and Wolves who he won this league with previously. One of their biggest strengths has been how they have responded to losses throughout the season – they haven’t loss consecutive games all season long. In a league such as the Championship, that is a hugely impressive effort. There’s no doubting what Norwich’s biggest strength is in their forward line with Lewis Grabban, Gary Hooper and Cameron Jerome combining for more than half their team’s total goals. Alex Neil tends to play two up top and it’s tended to be Grabban and Jerome in recent weeks, and as that duo combined for all three goals in the win over Watford last week, they could get the nod again. Ipswich may not have the same depth to their attacking options as Norwich but they do have one player who has scored more than any other player in the Championship. Daryl Murphy is the division top scorer with 21 goals which is quite surprising given that his previous best was 13, last season. There’s an awful lot of pressure on him, though, as their next top scorer is only on seven. It’s a big ask for one player to carry such responsibility, especially when he’s not been prolific previously. This match is always one both sets of fans look out for at the beginning of the season, such is the rivalry. However, this match is even more significant due to the position of the two in the league table. Both clubs may play it down but they will both be targeting automatic promotion. An away win would see Ipswich go four points clear of Norwich but such is the form of the Canaries, I can see them winning and leapfrogging their arch rivals.
Norwich 20/23 @ Betvictor
