Ipswich vs Norwich predictions & Championship betting tips

Ipswich vs Norwich predictions 

Ipswich Town and Norwich City face off in the first East Anglian derby in four years at Portman Road on Saturday (12.30pm, Sky Sports Main Event). 

The two sides meet for the first time since the Tractor Boys were relegated to League One in 2019, and the hosts can retake their place at the top of the Championship with a win over their rivals. 

Kieran McKenna’s men are blazing a trail towards the Premier League and the dream of back-to-back promotions. 

Ipswich added yet another three points to their total after recording a comeback win over Watford during the week courtesy of goals from George Hirst and Sam Morsy. 

Since suffering a 2-0 defeat to West Brom at the end of November, Ipswich have responded with a four-match winning streak and are in prime form ahead of the visit of the Canaries.

Norwich have been inconsistent in the Championship this season and sit in mid-table, albeit only three points off the play-off places. 

David Wagner’s side are unbeaten in their last three, and recorded a comfortable win over Sheffield Wednesday during the week to take momentum into the East Anglian derby. 

Ipswich are the overwhelming favourites with football betting sites to win the contest at odds of 4/7, and Norwich are as long as 11/2 to leave Portman Road with a victory. 

Here are our predictions for the East Anglian derby.

Ipswich to keep Premier League dream moving 

Everyone keeps waiting to see Ipswich drop off, but McKenna and his team continue to defy expectations by picking up wins. 

The defeat to West Brom could have been a potential derailment for their promotion surge, but the Tractor Boys got right back up and have reeled off four wins on the bounce. 

They were temporarily top of the Championship before Leicester reclaimed first place with a 3-2 win over Millwall. The two sides are in lockstep at the Championship summit and are seemingly Premier League bound. 

Ipswich continue to score goals in abundance from all areas of the pitch, leading the second tier with 45 goals.  

Only the Baggies have prevented them from finding the net this season, and the Canaries will have their work cut out to stop them.

Wagner’s side have the second-worst defensive record in the Championship – only Rotherham have conceded more than their 37 goals. 

Add to the fact that Ipswich have won nine of their 10 games at home this term, all signs suggest that the hosts will be adding another victory to their collection at Portman Road.  

Both teams have been involved in high-scoring games, 48 per cent of Norwich’s games and 43 per cent of Ipswich’s games have included over 3.5 goals. 

So, after looking at betting sites, we’re taking Ipswich to win and over 3.5 goals at odds of 9/4 with BoyleSports. 

Chaplin to make derby impact 

Not many of the current Ipswich squad have played in the East Anglian derby and all will be desperate to make a decisive impact at Portman Road. All eyes will be on top scorer Conor Chaplin to find the net once more.  

Chaplin has built off his outstanding League One campaign last year when he finished as the joint leading scorer with 26 strikes. 

The 26-year-old has not matched his efficiency of last term, but still has a team-high eight goals to his name, forging a strong front three alongside Nathan Broadhead and Hirst.

The Tractor Boys are causing problems with their pace and movement in the final third and could give Norwich all they can handle, especially given the Canaries’ defensive woes.

Chaplin has mustered 77 shots on goal this season, and has only failed to register an attempt once in Ipswich’s defeat to West Brom. 

Five of his eight strikes have come at Portman Road, so we’re backing him to enjoy another good day in the final third by scoring any time at odds of 11/8 with bet365. 

Red card in the game? 

There is always an extra bit of spice in a derby game and the fact that these sides have not met in four years will just add to the atmosphere in the stands and on the pitch. 

We’re expecting a few meaty tackles to be dished out between both sets of players. Ipswich have collected the third-most yellow cards in the Championship this season with 51, according to WhoScored.com. 

Norwich are some way behind with 37, so the Canaries have been better behaved than their neighbours.  

Both teams have avoided the dreaded red card, keeping their full complement of players on the pitch.

Dismissals have been rare in the East Anglian derby with the last red card coming in the Championship play-off semi-final in 2015 when Christophe Berra was given his marching orders for the Tractor Boys. 

The last one before that was 2010 when Damien Delaney saw red for Ipswich. 

Referee Joshua Smith has been assigned the game and he has been active with his red card this season, handing out four in total, including one in his last game. 

Smith has dismissed Rotherham’s Daniel Ayala and Blackburn’s Scott Wharton in his 14 Championship appearances this season. 

Given the length of time since the last East Anglian derby, we could be due a sending-off. We’re backing a red card in the game at odds of 17/5 with Unibet. 

Simon Sinclair is an experienced sports journalist, who has written for national publications for football, cricket, NFL and many more. He contributes tips on a wide range of sports for The Independent.