Norwich have everything to lose and Ipswich have everything to gain during Sunday’s East Anglian Derby

Sunday lunch-time sees the return of the East Anglian derby as Norwich City travel down the A140 to face rivals Ipswich Town at Portman Road. “After 7 years of derby hurt, it’s time to party like 2009” reads the front page of the latest edition of the Ipswich Daily Star, as their opposition, having won 5 of the last 6 meetings, look to try and reaffirm their recent dominance in the fixture.

There is no doubt that Alex Neil’s side are the favourites going into the game - and so they should be. In a swift change of events (it seems like it was just yesterday that Ipswich fans were waving £20 notes at us following Marcus Evans’ takeover), City are now by far the wealthier of the two clubs and this is reflected within the quality of the two respective squads. Whilst Mick McCarthy is left to try and build a competitive squad compiled largely of freebies and loans, his opposite number has Premier League millions behind him - millions that have purchased the likes of Sergi Canos and Alex Pritchard during the current summer window. This being said, however, you will not find one City supporter who is not slightly apprehensive ahead of Sunday.

My biggest worry is that our recent performances in the fixture have, quite simply, been too good to be true. My years growing up as a City supporter were largely spent being inferior, or, at the very best, on an even keel, to Ipswich and trips to Portman Road were often treated with trepidation - between 2006 and 2009 we lost on three successive visits and, in my early teens, I soon began to feel that this was the norm. Recently, however, it really has been too good to be true: 2010/2011 saw us utterly humiliate Ipswich 4-1 and 5-1 (in the famous 9-2 demolition derbies), whilst 2014/15 saw us do the league double before adding salt to the Tractor Boy wounds by comprehensively beating them in the Play-Off semi-finals to secure a trip to Wembley, and, ultimately, a place in the Premier League. The closest our dear friends had got to the Premier League in years - their season - and we put an end to their dreams in the cruelest way possible. Ipswich fans are sick of the sight of us, and the majority will probably be fearing yet another drubbing on Sunday. But nothing lasts forever, does it?

Maybe I am just used to being let down as a Norwich supporter, or maybe it is just standard pre-derby day nerves, but my confidence is not at its peak. Ipswich have nothing to lose. They haven’t beaten us since 2009 and their squad is probably worth less than Robbie Brady - just one of our players. No-one is expecting them to win. City, however, come down from the Premier League as promotion favourites, with one of the most lucrative squad’s in the division and with recent derby history behind us. Add the very real factor of play-off revenge and the pressure is all on Norwich.

Further contributing to my nerves is our injury list. Martin Olsson, John Ruddy, Matt Jarvis, Graham Dorrans and Alex Pritchard have all been ruled out of the game whilst Jacob Murphy is a doubt. 6 players who, on a given day, could all have been in our starting line-up. Our beginning to the season has been solid, if not spectacular. Sheffield Wednesday at home saw a lacklustre and disjointed display whilst the visit of Bristol City last Tuesday produced an important victory but we were still not at our fluent best. McCarthy will be licking his lips at the prospect of welcoming City to Portman Road just four games into the season. Our results may suggest otherwise, but we have yet to completely find our rhythm and Town’s boss will be hoping to catch us cold.

After all, that is their only chance. If Norwich perform at their best then there is only outcome. An outcome that will see City’s hold over the region strengthen even tighter, until February at least.