The East Anglian derby. If there wasn’t already enough spice to this fixture we’ve now tipped in a whole bunch of chillis and followed that up by splashing in some tabasco.

There’s former Town academy midfielder and coach Liam Manning who’s crossed one side of the divide following successful spells at MK Dons and Tuesday night’s opponents Bristol City.

That would have made it feisty enough but Town’s purchase of Marcelino Nunez this summer makes this more dramatic than a Christmas episode of Eastenders.

The Canaries have not had the start they would have hoped for with just two wins so far and currently sit 18th, just two points above the relegation zone with questions already being raised over Manning’s future.

He’s come out and said it’s a great time to play the derby and I’m inclined to agree with him. They’re the team without expectation and a win on Sunday could kickstart a climb up the table.

Goalkeepers

It was a full overhaul in the goalkeeping department with Angus Gunn leaving for Nottingham Forest after years of service. His replacement, Vladan Kovacevic, comes with an impressive CV with spells at Sporting Lisbon and Legia Warsaw. He’s already made 20 saves including one from a penalty and is looking to be a shrewd purchase.

Daniel Grimshaw has been picked up from Plymouth to back him up with Louie Moulden coming in on a free from Crystal Palace to take up the third-choice slot.

Defence

Norwich have switched between a back five and a back four throughout the season but it’s most likely to be a four for this one.

Jack Stacey is probably one of the first names on the teamsheet right now. Not just because of the former Bournemouth man's ability to play in either full-back position, but also because he has a goal and an assist in his last three games.

He’s made 11 box entries, which is more than any other player in the league and shows how aggressively Manning likes his full-backs to attack.

More new signings make up the centre-back pairing of Jackov Medic and Harry Darling. Giant Croat Medic, who has joined from Ajax, is an excellent blocker of the ball but is prone to giving away soft fouls.

Darling was picked up on a free following the expiry of his Swansea contract and despite being right-footed is the first choice on the left side of defence.

With Ben Chrisene out injured, the Canaries have limited left-back options. Stacey can cover but it’s Kellen Fisher who has been playing there. The 21-year-old was a regular starter last season but largely on the right-hand side and if there’s a weakness for Town to exploit it could well be here.

When Norwich have opted to go with a three at the back it’s been Ivan Corodoba, a Panamanian International, who has slotted in with Papa Amadou Diallo covering left wing-back.

The 21-year-old Senegalese got two assists in the Carabao Cup game against Watford which earned him more first-team opportunities, but he’s not trusted enough defensively to be an out-and-out left-back with his attributes more suited to going forward.

Shane Duffy is still around the club but is out of favour with Manning whilst other options are provided by young defenders Lucien Mahovo, who may start this one to provide a natural left footed at left-back, and Ruairi McConville.

Midfield

Skipper Kenny McLean is one of the few players in the Norwich squad that has experienced an East Anglian derby. Utlised as a makeshift centre-back last season on a lot of occasions, the experienced Scotsman is now back in the heart of midfield and is likely to be partnered by the man the Nunez money was spent on.

Pelle Mattsson is a highly rated Danish prospect who’s an all-round midfielder, not afraid to get stuck into a tackle but has the ability to create too.

Playing just in front of them against Stoke was Liam Gibbs, the man who made the switch the opposite way across the border but has never really been able to break into the first team there. That match was the 22-year-olds first start of the season having made three substitute appearances prior to that.

Behind them there’s plenty of depth but a lack of form and quality. Jacob Wright has struggled to replicate his form of last season having signed permanently from Manchester City and picked up a red card against Middlesbrough.

Emiliano Marcondes and Mirko Topic have both featured this season, with the latter a new signing from Famalicao in the summer, whilst their other two midfielders Anis Ben Slimane and Forson Amankwah are both out injured.

Forwards

The only place to start the forward round-up is with American marksman Josh Sargent. He led the scoring charts in the early weeks of the season but is now without a goal in his last three games and has been replaced at the top of that particular table by Ollie McBurnie.

Despite that Sargent boasts a 23% goal conversion and is currently exceeding his expected goals despite missing four big chances. If Town give him a sniff there’s every chance he could find the net.

It’s been a young pairing on the wings either side of him with 19-year-old Dane Oscar Schwateau on the left and Jovan Makama on the right.

Makama, who was signed from Lincoln after a seven-goal and six-assist season in League One last year, now has two in his last three, having scored the opener against Stoke.

With big money signing Mathias Kvistgaarden out injured, the workload on Sargent will certainly be higher and more will be asked of those behind him including Ante Crnac, who has the ability to put in great performances and is excellent at pressing, but has been unable to string that form together consistently enough.

The other wide options are Matej Jurasek and the experienced Premier League winner Jeffrey Schlupp, who brings 280 Premier League appearances to the table.

The Teams

It was all change midweek against Bristol City as Kieran McKenna looked to keep legs fresh for this one. I don’t think it’s a crazy suggestion to say that at least five of those six changes are likely to swap back.

Norwich also made changes midweek making this an unpredictable line-up. Sargent is certain to start as are the double pivot, but everywhere else is open to rotation.

Prediction

Everything goes out of the window in local derbies, form, quality and tactics. They can end up being scrappy games won by a bit of brilliance like the last time. The benefit this time is that we have the man who blasted in the winner on our side.

Home form and performances have been a lot better than the away ones, and it seems likely that the side that comes out on Sunday will be fairly consistent compared to the one that beat Sheffield United and Portsmouth, so we should come in as favourites. Despite that I'm erring on the side of caution and going for a 2-2 draw.

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