Sunday’s Championship match is the East Anglia derby between Norwich City and Ipswich Town.
Norwich had been on a good run with no defeats in their last six until they suffered a surprise defeat against Burton Albion last time out. The Canaries currently sit 8th in the table but are still seven points off their target of the play-offs.
Alex Neil’s men certainly like to focus on the attacking side of their game and tend to look to outscore the opposition rather than simply win a game 1-0. They are the second-highest scorers in the Championship with 58 goals but in turn have one of the worst defences in the league with an alarming 47 conceded in just 33 league games.
Carrow Road is one of the more charming grounds in English football and Norwich are certainly living a charmed life there at the moment with no defeats in their last six games at home, scoring 17 goals in the process. Additionally, they have won their last three East Anglian derbies on home soil.
Ipswich have improved a bit over recent weeks but are still no threat to the top end of the table as they have drawn too many matches – three in their last four. Currently 14th, they will no doubt stay in and around mid-table for the rest of the campaign.
In typical Mick McCarthy fashion, and in contrast to Alex Neil, his side look to have a good foundation in defence before attacking. Their record of 41 conceded in 33 is not terrible in terms of the rest of the division and should be enough to keep them above the drop-zone. However, their poor return of 34 goals in 33 matches is the fifth-worst goal-scoring record in the league. Furthermore, they have failed to score more than once in seven of their last eight matches in all competitions.
The Tractor Boys had been abysmal on the road around the new year, losing five of their six away games, but they have recovered to go unbeaten in their last three matches away from Portman Road; however, they’ll need to find another gear to compete with Norwich in this one.
Norwich are the favourites here for obvious reasons and they’re expected to pull off a victory here with a couple of goals in their favour. ‘Norwich City to Win & Over 1.5 Goals Total’, at 5/4, is a cracking bet, especially since The Canaries have scored at least twice in each of their last five league matches at home.
See more tips here.