Ipswich Town manager Mick McCarthy has insisted that the pressure is on rivals Norwich City ahead of the East Anglian derby this Sunday.
The Tractor Boys have enjoyed an underwhelming season to date and are destined for a mid-table finish, although they are unbeaten in their last four Championship games going into the encounter at Carrow Road.
The Canaries, meanwhile, had been one of the favourites for promotion this season but sit seven points adrift of the hotly-contested playoff places and suffered a surprise defeat at relegation-threatened Burton Albion last time out.
"I keep getting asked if there is more pressure on them than us this weekend," McCarthy told the Ipswich Star. "It's a big game for all of us because of the nature of the game, but if they are going to get in the playoffs – which I expected they would do at the very least – then they are going to have to win a whole load of games, starting with us on Sunday I would have thought.
"I'm not really bothered about them though to be quite honest. I don't overly consume myself with what's going on 50 miles up the road. I wasn't born in Suffolk. I might have a look at what Barnsley or Sheffield Wednesday are doing – that used to be my derby. Or Doncaster, or Chesterfield, or Rotherham or Leeds.
"There will be a lot [of fans] who think that it's not been as good a season they expected it to be. There [have been] a lot of wrongs and we could right a few of them if we win on Sunday. The same points are at stake as every game, but of course there are bragging rights and the feeling about the club from the fans at stake too."
The two sides played out a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture at Portman Road last October.
Neil Wilkes
