The pride of East Anglia is up for grabs as Norwich plays host to Ipswich at Carrow Road.
East Anglia Derby
Visitors Ipswich have been known to use every second of the clock in recent weeks and they certainly extracted every unit of time against Southampton on Monday.
The Late Show
With the Easter weekend schedule now behind us, the dust has settled in the race for automatic promotion out of the Championship and with both Norwich and Ipswich playing some part in how the top four currently looks, Saturday pairs these two local rivals together.
For hosts Norwich, their Monday outing positioned them at the King Power Stadium against Leicester and after going ahead halfway through the first half, it looked as if the Canaries were going to create even more misery for the Foxes.
However, Enzo Maresca’s men would eventually find the bite that they have been lacking these past few weeks and with three unanswered goals being scored by the East Midlands outfit, it would then mean Ipswich would have to find their own answers against Southampton later that same day.
Answers that at one stage they did not look like having and with them going up against fellow promotion hopefuls, it looked as if the Saints would be marching towards at least a point for their efforts at Portman Road.
Then again, the Championship is known for generating drama on a weekly basis and after the visitors went down to 10 men late on with the score stuck at 2-2, it was time for the charge of Ipswich’s late brigade.
Something that we have seen on numerous occasions already this season and with Jeremy Sarmiento scoring a dramatic 97th minute winner, it would send the county of Suffolk into a state of rapture.
Not only that, but it would make sure that the Tractor Boys would motor back to the summit of the Championship table and although Leeds would win at Elland Road a couple of hours later, it means Kieran McKenna’s men start this weekend at the top of the second tier shop.
Now though, it is the potential banana skin that comes with a heated local rivalry and with Norwich needing a win to help solidify their playoff hopes, David Wagner’s men are not simply here to roll out the red carpet.
Especially as before their defeat at Leicester they had managed to pick up three successive league wins and because of this, they currently have possession of the last of the four playoff invites that will soon be dispatched.
But now it is time for the first of my two tips and with Norwich doing their best to fend Coventry off in the race for sixth, I cannot see them fending off Ipswich in the battle for local bragging rights. I have the visitors down to win and both teams to score at a very tempting price of 3/1.
In addition to this, I am going to shine the spotlight on Jeremy Sarmiento and after scoring the winner on Monday, I am going to also back him to score the final goal of the game on Saturday. An outcome which is currently priced at 11/1.
Bet £5, Get £20 in Free Bets
