Norwich City v Ipswich
Sunday 10th February 1200hrs
Football – England – Championship
Pick Norwich HT/FT
Bookmaker Coral
Odds: 11/10 (odds taken 13.20 GMT, Saturday 9th February)
There’s a distinct possibility that there will be two leagues between Norwich and Ipswich at the beginning of next season so it could well be the last East Anglia derby for a while and let’s hope it’s one to savour.
Norwich City Preview
Norwich came into this weekend top of the Championship courtesy of their excellent 3-1 win away to Leeds United whom they knocked off top spot in the process. If there were any doubts about the Canaries title credentials, then they most certainly dispelled them with what is probably the performance of the season of any team in this league. The big games keep on coming for Daniel Farke’s men, however, and although it’s a home game against the bottom of the table, it’s also a game against their bitter rivals and they will make it as difficult as possible despite there being 23 places between them. Norwich remain unbeaten in the league in 2019 with a couple of wins and three draws but their run of fixtures have been challenging and they’ve negotiated them relatively well to this point. Farke will be looking at the next five fixtures, four of which are against teams in the bottom half of the table. We know there’s no easy games in the Championship but it’s certainly a period where Norwich will be hoping to accumulate a tally of points that will see them in a very strong position for the run-in.
Key-Facts – Norwich City v Ipswich
- 39 points separate these two foes heading into their Sunday meeting
- A win for Norwich would propel them close to the Premier League, at the same time pushing Ipswich closer to League One
- Norwich have scored more home goals than any team in the Championship and Ipswich have conceded the most away goals
Ipswich Preview
Ipswich supporters were extremely vocal in their disapproval of Mick McCarthy towards the end of his tenure as manager, believing the club was capable of doing better. Fast forward to now and it just shows you how ridiculous a notion that was. McCarthy was happy to step aside and the club elected to go in a different direction with Paul Hurst who lasted a matter a months. Step forward former Norwich boss Paul Lambert and it’s been pretty much just a continuation of what went before as Ipswich toil at the bottom of the table, staring relegation in the face. The Tractor Boys are eight points from safety and have won three games all season. It’s actually a wonder they’re not further adrift. Ipswich’s last win came against fellow strugglers Rotherham a month ago and to their credit they have been competitive enough in the three games that have proceeded that but they are now in the habit of losing games and that’s a really difficult one to break. They have a big run of games of their own coming up as they prepare to face games against two of the bottom six in the next few weeks, and they’re simply matches they have to take points from otherwise it will be a drop into England’s third tier for the first time since 1958.
Norwich City v Ipswich Betting Preview
The only thing worse than struggling to survive in a league is seeing your archest of rivals going so well in the same league, in the same season. That’s the reality for Ipswich and their supporters but they have an opportunity at least to put a dent in Norwich’s big for promotion, as unlikely that looks on paper. Paul Lambert is also returning to a club whom he led to the Premier League in 2011 – that’s nothing new for a manager who has been in charge of numerous teams at Carrow Road since then, but it will be the first time he has been in charge of the team Norwich supporters hate the most. So he’s sure to be in for a good reception.
The derby element affects this game as Ipswich’s players will be determined not only to get some much-needed points for their survival bid, but also because the nature of the game. Norwich will have to be conscious of that and win the battle first before allowing their greater quality to make the difference. The win over Leeds will have them in buoyant mood and their consistency in the league is also a major asset. Ipswich have lost 12 of their 14 away games, conceding the most goals in the process, whilst Norwich have scored more than any other Championship team at home. It looks straightforward and I believe it will be. Norwich to be winning at half-time and full-time.
