Will the unbeaten record rumble on?

Even in 2023/24 when Ipswich finished above Norwich and won promotion to the Premier League they still couldn’t get a win over their rivals.

It has been 16 years now since Ipswich last tasted victory over their arch rivals with a 3-2 win at Portman Road in 2009. Since that time, 14 games have passed with eight wins and six draws. Two of them came in the play-off semi-finals in 2015.

Is this their best chance to rectify the situation?

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Ipswich’s underwhelming start

It has not been the beginning to the campaign many would have expected for Ipswich Town.

Two wins from seven games so far, and it really could have been two from eight were it not for the abandonment of their trip to Blackburn. Just 12 goals scored… and five of those came in one rout of Sheffield United.

The feeling at the club is that after a summer of moving parts and upheaval it will take time for things to come together.

Only left-back Leif Davis remains from the starting XI that last faced Norwich in April 2024. Ironically, the man who scored the winner for the Canaries that day, Marcelino Nunez, will likely be featuring for Ipswich on Sunday.

“It takes guts to cross the divide. Only the bravest make the move” – the nature of Ipswich’s arrival video for him pretty much summed up the significance of the switch…

Sixteen years without a derby win not weighing heavy for McKenna

Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna in his pre-match press conference:

“I have to say, I don’t think anyone here feels that weight. I can’t imagine any of the players are because they haven’t been here long. For the large majority of the dressing room, it’s their first East Anglian derby, so they’re really looking forward to it.

“Of course, we know the 16 years thing. We’ve spoken about that and how nice it would be to give our supporters that sort of day.

“It’s not like we’ve had 32 games against each other and been in the same division for 16 years. There’s been two in the last six and a half years, since February 2019, so it’s not a record that I feel hangs over us as a club.

“Four years ago we were in our fourth season in a row in League One and they were in their second season out of three in the Premier League. I think the direction of travel over the last few years has been really positive and we want to keep building the club back up to where we believe it can be.

“We’ve spoken to the players about the significance of the rivalry to the supporters. One of our staff members spoke really well to the group about that and shared some of the history and the importance of it.

“If anything, the record to lose is on the other side, and for our players, especially the new players, it’s a chance to go and do something that hasn’t been done for a while.”

Manning feeling the heat at Norwich

In a strange way it might come as a relief to Liam Manning that he is taking his Norwich side to Portman Road, rather than facing them at Carrow Road.

Four games at home so far this season, zero points on the board. It has been the worst start at home to a campaign in the club’s history and the locals have already grown restless.

By contrast, Norwich are still unbeaten on the road this season. Two wins and two draws collected.

“We know how important that game is,” Manning said after Wednesday night’s defeat at home to West Brom. “This group has shown a lot of toughness and resilience since I have been here to get good results away from home and we will be working hard between now and Sunday. The lads will be ready for it.”

Defeat is simply not an option for Manning. And in his pre-match press conference on Thursday he was insistent that more of the pressure lies at the door of Ipswich.

“You look at them, where they’ve been, the money they’ve spent etcetera, there’ll be pressure that end,” the Norwich boss said.

“So I think it’s one of those where, for me, we should relish it. We should look forward to it. We should be ready to step up and give absolutely everything.

“We have to take all the experience from the games we’ve had so far into the weekend and go and be the best versions of us.”

Liam Gibbs: I expected reaction to switch

One man who will be expecting a frosty reception on his return to Portman Road will be Liam Gibbs, the Norwich City midfielder who made the opposite move to Nunez and swapped the Tractor Boys for the Canaries in 2021.

An unused substitute on their last trip south in 2023, Gibbs, who grew up in Suffolk, will be hoping to feature this time after starting his first game of the season last Saturday at Stoke – following some struggles with injury last season.

“It’s a massive game,” he tells Sky Sports. “I’m local to the area, I know what the rivalry is about. I’ve got friends and family on both sides so I hear a lot from both ends. Everyone looks forward to it, some get nervous, some are excited. It’s a game full of emotion and passion, and all of us are looking forward to it.

“I expected [the reaction when I moved]. I knew what the rivalry was about and understood there would be. That’s part of football. At the time I had to make the decision that was right for me. It paid off because I was able to play Championship football at a young age, and I was happy with that decision.

“I’ve experienced the atmosphere at both Portman Road and Carrow Road and it’s electric, right from the start. Fans are up for it, full of emotion and passion.

“When you grow up here it feels like a huge derby. The rivalry is as fierce as any other. I don’t know an Ipswich fan who likes Norwich or a Norwich fan who likes Ipswich. For me, this is the local derby and I’ve seen it from both sides. It’s a very big game in my eyes.

“If my name is read out there may be boos or other reactions. That drives you on and gives you motivation. Everyone will be up for the game anyway. New players ask what it means, and we make sure they know what it means to us and the fans.

“We’re all aware of the record. We don’t want to add pressure, but the facts are there. We don’t want to be the team that changes it. We’ll give everything to make sure we come away with the win.”

‘Record will be on Ipswich’s minds… but I think this is when they finally end the run’

Sky Sports’ David Prutton:

“Norwich will be happy knowing that unbeaten run stretches back 16 years. Even when Ipswich were promoted and finished sixth, they still couldn’t beat them. That history will be on the players’ minds because this game is as much about bragging rights as anything else.

Norwich can take great heart from that record. They need to be looking at the top six. If Josh Sargent is fit, he can cause any Championship defence problems. Under Liam Manning it’s a work in progress, but they have to push on after last season’s stagnation.

I think this match comes at a good stage of the season. There’s freedom to it, not the pressure of promotion or survival. Hopefully both teams open up a bit before the international break. It would be great if they just went for it and gave everyone a proper Sunday lunchtime derby.

As for the result, current form suggests Ipswich win. The history makes you want to say 2-2, but I’ll go Ipswich 2-1 to finally end their run against Norwich.