Ipswich Town will be aiming to maintain their good form as they welcome Norwich City to Portman Road for a Championship fixture on Saturday. Ipswich have looked almost unstoppable lately and while Norwich have the quality to make things difficult, a home win is still expected here.
Ipswich Town are coming off a 2-1 victory at Watford in their previous Championship fixture. They fell behind early in the encounter but George Hirst struck the equaliser midway through the first half before Sam Morsy netted the winner 10 minutes from time.
That was the fourth straight victory for second placed Ipswich Town, who appear to be easing away from the rest of the Championship, alongside leaders Leicester City. They are 10 points clear of Leeds United in third and are on course for automatic promotion.
While Ipswich Town have generally impressed this season, they have been practically unstoppable at Portman Road. Kieran McKenna’s men have won their last eight Championship home matches, although they have failed to keep a single clean sheet in that run.
Norwich City were also victorious last time out in the Championship as they triumphed 3-1 over Sheffield Wednesday. They made a fast start and took an early lead through Borja Sainz while Ashley Barnes and Jon Rowe added further goals after the break.
That result means Norwich City have now lost just one of their last six matches as they continue to build some momentum in recent weeks. David Wagner’s men have picked up four wins in that run and are now just three points off the playoff places.
Although Norwich City have looked sharp in recent weeks, their away form still needs some work having picked up just two wins in their last eight matches on the road. They have been beaten five times in that run but triumphed 2-1 over Bristol City in their previous fixture.
How the bookies view it
Ipswich Town are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 4/7 by Betfred. A victory for Norwich City is valued at 11/2 by bet365 while a draw is set at odds of 10/3 by Paddy Power.
Head to head
Norwich City have a 24-22 advantage with 16 draws from 62 previous matches against Ipswich Town. The Canaries picked up a 3-0 victory in the last fixture between both teams back in 2019.
Players to watch
Conor Chaplin is the leading scorer for Ipswich Town with eight Championship goals this season and is priced at 8/5 by Paddy Power to find the net on Saturday. George Hirst has also been in good form lately, scoring in three of the last four home matches and could be worth keeping an eye on at 8/5 by bet365.
Jon Rowe often carries much of the attacking threat for Norwich City and could be worth keeping an eye on. The forward netted his eighth Championship goal of the season in the win over Sheffield Wednesday and is priced at 5/1 by bet365 to find the net on Saturday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Ipswich Town have seen over 3.5 goals in four of their last five Championship home matches and could be set for a repeat at 31/20 by Paddy Power. Both teams could also be backed to score at 8/13 with bet365.
The Blues have scored in both halves in their last two matches and could be set for a similar pattern at 23/20 with BoyleSports. The hosts are priced at minimal odds for a straight victory and a win and both teams to score could be considered at 19/10 with William Hill.
This England Championship match between Ipswich Town and Norwich City will be played on Dec 16, 2023 and kick off at 12:30. Check below for our tipsters best Ipswich Town vs Norwich City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
