Fast Results
Scores
Racecards 
Ipswich vs Norwich betting tips, BuildABet, best bets and preview
Ipswich meet Norwich in the first East Anglian derby in almost five years at Portman Road on Saturday lunchtime. Michael Beardmore provides his best bets.
Football betting tips: Championship
1pt Ashley Barnes 1+ offsides at 7/2 (Sky Bet)
0.75pts e.w Jon Rowe to score first at 16/1 (bet365) (1/3 odds 1-98 places)
- Michael Beardmore (@MickeyBeardmore) is +27pts in profit for the 2023-24 season
The old cliche says form goes out the window when it comes to derby day - those of an Ipswich persuasion will hope there's no truth to that because the Tractor Boys are flying as they head into an always eagerly-anticipated East Anglian derby.
Kieran McKenna's men have been the epitome of a side riding the momentum of a promotion bounce, winning 16 of 21 Sky Bet Championship games to sit pretty in the automatic spots with a 10-point cushion approaching the season's midpoint.
World Darts Championship preview
- Click here to watch our full World Championship Darts preview with Abigail Davies, Paul Nicholson and Chris Hammer
But Norwich, 11th and just three points off the top six, come into the game in fairly decent nick too, winning four of their past six after a disastrous run of seven defeats in nine matches that really threw David Wagner's future as Canaries boss into question.
And while this is a first derby since 2019, Norwich do have a hold over their rivals. Ipswich have not tasted a derby win in 13 meetings, all the way back in 2009 - losing seven, including a play-off semi-final second leg, and drawing five since then.
What are the best bets?
The hosts are big favourites here, almost to an unbackable degree when you factor those head-to-head concerns in. But it's tough to get enthused about Norwich causing an upset given how impressive their neighbours have been this season.
Let's leave the outcome alone - often the best policy in derbies anyway - and focus on some big prices around two of the visiting players given that the hosts tend to win thrillers and are far from perfect defensively.
ASHLEY BARNES might be entering the twilight of his career at 34 now but he's still been a regular starter for the Canaries and I'm drawn to the 7/2 that Sky Bet offer on the veteran forward for 1+ OFFSIDES.
He's never been a speedster but perhaps his advancing years are causing him to play more on the shoulders of defenders than ever because Barnes has been flagged offside 11 times in 12 league games despite often dropping to a no.10 role.
Given across his career he's tended to draw the assistant's attention an average of at least every other game, 7/2 looks huge.
I also can't ignore the whopping 16/1 on his team-mate JONATHAN ROWE TO SCORE FIRST with bet365. Rowe is the Canaries' top scorer with eight goals in 19 appearances so the price is a complete head-scratcher.
OK, I get it, Ipswich are the correct favourites here but the fact the bookies have virtually a dozen home players shorter priced than Rowe to score first just seems disrespectful to the 20-year-old livewire.
You can get 11/2 on him to net anytime with the same firm but we get similar odds by taking him each-way (1-98 places) - this has to be the way to play it given the 16/1 carrot dangled in front of us if he nets first.
Ipswich have won nine of 10 home games but conceded first in three of those matches and actually have the joint third worst home defensive record in the division, while Rowe has broken the deadlock for the Canaries three times already this season.
BuildABet @40/1
- Barnes 1+ offsides
- Rowe to score anytime
- Luongo 2+ fouls
CLICK HERE to back with Sky Bet
Adding two or more fouls from Ipswich midfielder Massimo Luongo to our aforementioned two selections brings our BuildABet up to a tasty 40/1.
Luongo averages 2.5 tackles and 1.6 fouls per game, figures you would expect him to exceed during a ding-dong derby.
Score prediction: Ipswich 3-2 Norwich (Sky Bet odds: 16/1)
Team news
Norwich remain without star striker Josh Sargent (ankle), although he is closing in on a return to fitness, while on-loan forward Hwang Ui-jo has recently joined the American in the treatment room with a hamstring injury.
Defensive duo Ben Gibson and Grant Hanley are both nearing comebacks but the derby will come too soon for both.
Ipswich have no fresh injury worries with Janoi Donacien and Lee Evans their only known absentees.
Boss McKenna's main decision will be whether to hand Harry Clarke a start at right-back after he replaced Brandon Williams at half-time in the midweek win at Watford.
Predicted line-ups
Ipswich: Hladky, Clarke, Tuanzebe, Burgess, Davis, Morsy, Luongo, Burns, Broadhead, Chaplin, Hirst.
Norwich: Gunn, Stacey, Duffy, McLean, Giannoulis, Sara, Nunez, Rowe, Barnes, Sainz, Idah.
Match facts
- Ipswich Town are winless in 10 league games against rivals Norwich City (D4 L6) since a 3-2 home win in April 2009 under Jim Magilton.
- Norwich have scored in each of their last 13 league visits to Ipswich (W7 D3 L3) since losing 5-0 back in February 1998.
- Ipswich have won each of their last eight home league games, scoring 25 goals during this run – the last newly promoted side in the Championship with a longer such run was Southampton in November 2011 (10 games).
- Norwich have won two of their last three away league matches (L1), one more than in their previous 10 such games (D3 L6).
- After failing to score or assist in his first two home league games of 2023-24, Ipswich’s George Hirst has either scored (4) or assisted (4) in his last seven league matches at Portman Road.
More from Sporting Life
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.