Ipswich Town striker Freddie Sears insists the pressure is on Norwich City in Sunday’s East Anglian derby at Carrow Road.
The Canaries sit top of the table heading into the weekend’s action and, while they could drop as low as third depending on results elsewhere tomorrow, they will face a Blues side sitting bottom of the league with 39 points separating the two rivals.
While Sears knows his side need to pick up points quickly if they are to battle clear of relegation, the former West Ham forward believes Norwich are under the greater pressure given the expectation of victory is on their shoulders.
“You have to be positive going into these games,” Sears said.
“It’s a derby so a lot of the form and what the league table looks like always goes out of the window. It’s all down to one game and we’re going there to win.
“The bulk of the pressure is definitely on them as the home team because they are strongly fancied to win the game.
“They are top of the league and want to get promoted so the pressure is on them to win. We’re bottom of the league and they should beat us but we need results too and we need them quickly.”
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There is added intrigue ahead of Sunday’s game given the Blues are led by former Norwich manager Paul Lambert, who won back-to-back promotions with the Canaries to take them from League One to the top flight between 2009 and 2011.
“There’s obviously history between the gaffer and Norwich, and it’s a big game for everyone,” Sears said.
“The gaffer was very successful when he was at Norwich and I know he’s in the Hall of Fame there. He knows the place inside out and how their crowd are going to react to certain situations. It might be an advantage, it might not.
“We all know about the derby. As soon as the Sheffield Wednesday game finished last Saturday it was derby week.
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“Because it’s a Sunday game the training schedule has been different but everyone’s ready for it. The training is going well and ultimately all that matters is Sunday at 12 o’clock.
“I love the derbies. It’s always a great atmosphere and they’re sure to be bouncing at the minute being top of the league with us at the bottom. It’s time for us to stand up and start doing our talking out on the pitch.”
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