English Championship: Game Week 22
Stadium: Portman Road Stadium
16th December 2023
Ipswich Town will welcome Norwich City at Portman Road Stadium in Game Week 22 of the English Championship. Ipswich will be looking for the first win over the Canaries in over 14 years. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes?
Receive Your Welcome Bonus!Ipswich Town form
Ipswich Town supporters have struggled in the East Anglian derby against Norwich for many years. However, they now have a team capable of causing real damage to Norwich. Kieran McKenna's men have shown their attacking prowess in recent wins against Middlesbrough and Watford. Conor Chaplin and Omari Hutchinson scored in the victory against Middlesbrough, while George Hirst and Sam Morsy sealed a comeback win against Watford. Ipswich's four-game winning streak and Leeds United's loss to Sunderland have given them a 10-point lead over Norwich. Ipswich briefly took the top spot in the Championship table after beating Watford, but Leicester City overtook them on Wednesday. Ipswich's form at Portman Road has been remarkable, with 27 points from 10 matches, scoring 30 goals. Younger Ipswich fans may not remember their team's last win against Norwich, which happened on April 19, 2009, with goals from Giovani dos Santos, Alan Quinn, and Jon Stead.
Ipswich Town Predicted Lineup
Hladky; Clarke; Woolfenden, Burgess, Davis; Morsy, Luongo, Burns, Chaplin, Broadhead; Hirst
Norwich City form
The memories of James Maddison and Teemu Pukki's antics on derby day are now distant, and David Wagner and the Norwich City team of 2023-24 have a difficult task ahead to continue the success of their predecessors and extend their unbeaten run in the East Anglian derby to 13 matches. The previous meeting between the teams in 2019 saw Norwich's table-topping Canaries face Ipswich, who were destined for relegation under Paul Lambert. Teemu Pukki scored twice, Onel Hernandez also found the net, and Emiliano Buendia provided two assists as Norwich dominated the game. Norwich's recent form in the Championship has seen them win four out of their last six matches, putting them close to sixth-placed Sunderland. However, in the context of the upcoming derby, Ipswich has a significant advantage with a 21-point lead over Norwich. Despite this, Norwich has the potential to cause an upset on derby day, thanks to the experience and leadership of Ashley Barnes, as well as the skill of Jon Rowe and Borja Sainz, with the latter scoring a fantastic goal in their recent 3-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday. Norwich has only won three out of their ten matches in the Championship this season, but they have proven their ability to secure points away from home with late goals from Adam Idah against Cardiff City and Bristol City.
Norwich City Predicted Lineup
Gunn; Stacey, Duffy, McLean, Giannoulis; Sara, Nunez, Rowe, Barnes, Hernandez; Idah
Ipswich Town vs Norwich City Expert Tips
Saturday afternoon presents Ipswich with a significant chance to defeat Norwich, similar to their victorious encounter in 2009. However, we cannot predict that the East Anglian derby will be easy for Ipswich, despite their strong league standing. The Canaries may need to set aside their pride and work hard to achieve a positive outcome in the upcoming match. Nevertheless, we anticipate that their longstanding undefeated streak in this fixture will be terminated. Expect over 2.5 goals in the game.