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Norwich City v Ipswich Town – Philippe Clement on derby day
Norwich City boss Philippe Clement insists he has ‘a lot of respect’ for Ipswich Town ahead of this weekend’s derby day at Carrow Road.
The Canaries have been resurgent since the Belgian took over from former boss Liam Manning last November, charging up the Championship to sit ninth in the table with an outside chance of sneaking into the play-offs.
Indeed, they actually did the Blues a favour on Easter Monday, beating top two rivals Millwall 2-1 at The Den.
They will see Saturday’s game (12.30pm ko) as a chance for revenge over Town, who finally ended their 16-year derby dominance with a 3-1 win at Portman Road back in October.
And, with the Blues in pole position for automatic promotion back to the Premier League, it’s also an opportunity for City to derail Town’s charge.
“I have also a lot of respect for Ipswich, what they are doing this season, how they’re performing, how they’re playing,” said Clement.
“They spend also a lot of money in summer to get this promotion. They’re in the play-off spots, so it’s going to be a tough battle, but I’m looking forward to that.”
And Clement insisted that this weekend is a chance for his team to reward their fans, after a roller coaster of a season.
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“We want to give the fans something back also,” he said. “They have been supporting the team all these months.
“The atmosphere in the stadium and in the away games turned completely from the beginning of the season and I feel my players want to give something extra to the fans.
“So to play a derby at home is always something special.”
Ex-Rangers boss Clement is no stranger to the cauldron of a derby day either, having led the Scottish giants against Celtic in Old Firm clashes. He’s also aware of the importance of the Ipswich/Norwich rivalry.
“I was aware of that already from the past,” he explained. “One of my ex-team-mates almost signed for the other team, so I know already a long time about this derby.
“And I like derbies also.”
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