- Norwich City welcome Ipswich Town to Carrow Road for the East Anglian derby.
- Philippe Clement has a number of huge selection decisions to make.
- One key battle on the pitch that could decide how the game unfolds on Saturday.
Norwich City are aiming to beat the second-placed team in the Championship for the second successive match when they welcome Ipswich Town to Carrow Road on Saturday.
Philippe Clement’s side knocked Millwall out of the top two by beating them 2-1 at The Den on Easter Monday, which opened the door for the Tractor Boys to move into second.
The Yellows can reverse that table change by beating Kieran McKenna’s men and opening the door for Middlesbrough or Millwall to go back into second place.
Norwich’s Belgian boss has a number of big selection decisions that he must ponder ahead of picking his team for the game against Ipswich, though.
The full-back dilemma
Jack Stacey and Kellen Fisher started as the full-backs against Millwall, which left the Canaries without a natural left-footed left-back in the side.
Ben Chrisene came off the bench to make his first appearance since returning from injury and made a world-class block to secure the win for Norwich.
Whilst the England U20 international is now an option to start, bringing Chrisene in for his first start since 14th March for a game of this magnitude may not be the wisest call.
Norwich’s full-back options are limited by Lucien Mahovo and Harry Amass’ long-term injuries, whilst Jeffrey Schlupp only recently returned to training after months on the sidelines.
This means that Clement may stick with the full-back pairing that secured a win over Millwall, playing Stacey at right-back and Fisher at left-back.
The concern with Jack Stacey
Now, there is a concern when it comes to starting Stacey in this match, and it is a topical one at the moment with the raging debate around Trent Alexander-Arnold’s England omission.
Yes, the Real Madrid full-back can produce unbelievable attacking moments, like his assist for Kylian Mbappe against Bayern Munich this week, but there is always a question mark over his defensive work.
That is the same issue with Stacey. He can produce great moments offensively, with his energy and willingness to put crosses into the box, but his defensive work can leave a lot to be desired at times.
For example, in the 3-1 defeat to Ipswich at Portman Road earlier this season, the English defender failed with both of his tackle attempts, committed four fouls, and did not create a single chance for his teammates.
Essentially, as is the case with Trent at Real Madrid or England, it feels like Stacey could win or lose the game for Norwich, depending on which side of his game turns up.
The key battle in the East Anglian derby
With this in mind, the key battle in the East Anglian derby this weekend is Stacey against Ipswich’s Jack Clarke, who made our combined XI for this weekend.
The former Sunderland winger is their top goalscorer, with 14 goals, and has the third most xA (5.75) in their squad. He is their main threat on the left flank.
Clarke could be directly up against Stacey, who struggled against a similar type of winger in Jaden Philogene at Portman Road, and may find joy against the inconsistent defender.
Locking up the English forward could hold the key to getting a positive result against Ipswich, which is why Norwich need their right-back to have one of his good days defensively to keep watch over Clarke.
On top of that, Stacey could decide the game in a positive fashion for Clement’s men by taking advantage of Clarke and Leif Davis’ attacking mentality and exposing the space left by them down that flank.
If the former Bournemouth star is at the top of his game offensively, Stacey could win the game for Norwich by delivering goal-creating crosses and passes in the final third.
There will be battles all over the pitch on Saturday, but Stacey versus Clarke feels like the one that could have the most impact.
