The 'East Anglian Derby' returns after almost 5 years

Nearly 30,000 people are expected to attend Portman Road for Ipswich Town Vs Norwich City

Ipswich Town Football Fans
Author: Jasmine OakPublished 16th Dec 2023
Last updated 16th Dec 2023

Around 30,000 fans are expected at Portman Road this afternoon to see the much anticipated East Anglian Derby.

Fans of Norwich and Ipswich have been waiting in anticipation for this fixture, it's the first time the teams are meeting in the league for nearly 5 years.

The Tractor Boys are aiming for their first win over the Canaries in 13 years, and will fancy their chances as one of the top two sides in the Championship this season.

Ipswich Town have been the shock of the season so far, sitting 2nd in the League following promotion from League One. They are just one point off the top of the table, and 10 clear of Leeds United in 3rd place.

Norwich City started the season poorly but have ground out results in recent weeks to sit comfortably in mid-table.

The canaries will feel more confident heading into the derby, after losing just one of their last five games in the league.

kick-off is at 12:30.

Kieran McKenna said todays game is a "great occasion to be involved with" and that they want to enjoy the game along with the "extra edge".

When asked how his side are doing ahead of todays game he said: "This team has shown. from the (previous) demand that we're 100% invested and focused in every game and we can't be any more than that."

We also asked about how he has feeling with the progress ITFC has made over the last 18 months. He told us " the second half of last season, every game seemed like it was the biggest game in decades, and every game was a must win and every game was massive - that's a nice thing to live through but internally we know that all we can do is prepare as well as we can and play as well as we can."

Kieran McKenna was also asked about the Norfolk Team, to which he responded

"They're on good form, they've scored a lot of goals.. and they can give any team a lot of problems and they've held on even against the best teams in the league this season - so we will show them the due respect in terms of their strengths that we do for every team."

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