Marcelino Núñez will not be fazed by the incoming hostility as Town travel to Norwich City for the hotly anticipated East Anglian derby this weekend, according to Blues teammate Dara O’Shea.

Saturday’s trip to Carrow Road will be the first clash between the two sides on Norfolk soil since Núñez made the controversial switch south of the border for an initial £7.5 million last summer.

The Chilean was the winning goalscorer for the Canaries the last time the sides met in Norwich’s home, which also came in early April in the midst of Town’s successful push for promotion to the Premier League.

Blues captain O’Shea says Núñez has been a welcome addition to the group with his infectious character, and that the midfielder will be aware of the reception he is likely to receive.

“He’s been fine,” he said. “Marcelino is Marcelino, he doesn’t change. Fair play to him, he just cracks on and he’s himself.

“Of course, he’s going to have a bit of hatred towards him and he understands that himself, he’s not stupid to think that he wouldn’t. As a group, we understand that a lot of the stuff is going to be towards him and that’s football.

“It’s what makes the game great, having the passion and rivalries, and he’s stepped over the other side of the line and come to us. He knows himself it’s going to be a big game, he’s going to get lots of stuff and I don’t think many things affect him in that way so I’m sure he’ll be totally fine.

“To be fair, he’s just smiling all the time. As a person, the boys love him and everyone gets on great with him. Maybe he taps into not knowing English sometimes just to not speak to you which is quite funny.

“You can see how much the fans love him, but we love him as a group as well. The energy he brings to us is something different and we don’t have many other characters like him in the group. Everybody loves him for what he is, who he is, how he cracks on and he just keeps going.

“The quality he has as a player is unbelievable. Some of the things he can do with the football are amazing and he makes us a better team at times.

“He’s a hard one to describe as a character. Once you know Nacho, you know Nacho, and that’s that. We’re really happy to have him and he’s a great addition to the group.”

During the reverse fixture at Portman Road in October, Núñez was heavily involved in the post-match celebrations and was seen waving the Town corner flag alongside posing with a banner referencing his past at Carrow Road.

Clearly, the Blues’ assist leader this season is not one to shy away from adding fuel to the fire.

O’Shea said: “When you make that move, you have to not be scared and he’s already done that so I'm not sure he’ll be too fazed by it. He’ll understand the magnitude of the game, but the character he is, I don’t think he’ll be too taken back by that.

“I want to let the boys be themselves, I think it’s great for the lads to have personalities. As long as their energy is being used in a positive way, I think it’s amazing and I don’t think anybody should be taken back for what they are.

“He’s great at what he is and who he is, so we’re all proud of him as a group.”

There is no doubt that the match will be filled with emotion, with Town aiming to keep their promotion charge on track while the hosts will be out to do everything they can to spoil those hopes.

Managing the atmosphere and maintaining a calm head will play a key role in determining the outcome, and O’Shea believes the Blues have enough experience to deal with the occasion.

“The game means a lot to everybody and you’re trying not to get too carried away and lost by that,” the 27-year-old said.

“It’s important to have that fight, spirit, and hunger in your belly to want to do well and want to come out on the right side of things, but also having that calm head of not coming away from the way we want to play will be important.

“You look back at some of the big derbies, whatever team comes out on the right side of that or manages it best tends to have the better luck in them. It’s a fine balance, you don’t know how the game is going to be play out until you’re in the game. It’s one of them where whoever can adapt to that better will probably have the better chances.

“I’d like to think that we’ve played in enough games and enough scenarios to understand that going into the game. Everybody has played in a hostile environment at some stage.

“As the game gets into speed, you quickly forget about the noise when the ball is in play. When the ball is out of play is when it can be loud and hear stuff like that.

“For us, it’s trying to implement ourselves in the right way to take the sting out of the crowd and help ourselves in that way. As professionals, you understand how to play in these scenarios and environments. Lots of lads have played in derbies before, so I’d hope it wouldn’t be a problem.”

Anis Mehmeti and Dan Neil were both signed in January and therefore did not play a part in Town’s 3-1 victory over their foes earlier in the campaign.

The pair understand what the game means to the supporters, though, with plenty of the current squad having experienced the atmosphere inside Portman Road when the 16-year wait for a derby win finally came to an end.

O’Shea said: “The lads will be well prepared for that. We’ve got enough people who have played in this game before to understand the meaning and the magnitude of it.

“When you step into the arena and you see the atmosphere, players step up to that. Those two boys definitely would as well.”

Photo: TWTD