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East Anglian rivals Ipswich Town and Norwich City meet at Portman Road tonight with plenty at stake for both clubs.
Paul Lambert’s Norwich are well in the mix for automatic promotion, sitting in third as things stand, just a single point behind Cardiff City, the team currently occupying the second promotion place.
As for Ipswich, they can still mathematically reach the play-offs, going to within three points of the top six if they can emerge victorious this evening.
Focusing on Norwich to begin with, it is fair to say they have excelled all expectations this season.
They were only promoted from League One last year and have done superbly well to be amongst the automatic promotion candidates this season, playing some excellent football along the way.
Grant Holt has once again been the main man for them, scoring 20 league goals and leading the line for the Canaries in fantastic fashion.
He is the striker many opposing fans love to hate, but there is no doubt he has the makings of a Norwich legend if he can guide them to the top flight.
The 30-year-old scored a hat-trick in the reverse fixture earlier this year too and he would love a performance similar to this when he leads Norwich out at Portman Road tonight.
Holt and co ran out 4-1 winners over Ipswich back in November and it is this, as well as their outside shot at a top six finish, that will be motivating the Tractor Boys tonight.
Much has changed at the club since then though, with Paul Jewell replacing Roy Keane and the players performing with much more confidence and self-belief.
Since Jewell took over, Ipswich have been a largely different side and many have questioned what position they might find themselves in had the former Wigan boss taken over slightly earlier in the season.
Their form going into tonight’s game is good too, with four wins from their last five games.
This has seen them move into the top-half of the table for the first time this season and there is no doubt they will feel in good shape to dent Norwich’s promotion hopes.
Looking at the team news for this one, Ipswich winger Lee Martin is suspended, but they should have Grant Leadbitter available despite the midfielder suffering a head injury against Bristol City last time out.
As for Norwich, long-term injury victims Leon Barnett and Aaron Wilbraham remain sidelined, while Holt will undergo a late fitness test on a troublesome hamstring injury. The Canaries’ leading scorer is expected to play through the pain though.
Overall, this should be a fantastic game of football and one that means a huge amount for both sides in more ways than one.
