Ipswich Town: Kieran McKenna takes fresh Norwich City swipe involving Marcelino Nunez | OneFootball

Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna claimed Marcelino Nunez made a 'step up' by joining the club from rivals Norwich City.

Ipswich Town are looking for their first win at Carrow Road since 2006 when they take on bitter rivals Norwich City on Saturday afternoon.

It’s a game that has so much riding on it for the visitors, as they currently occupy the second automatic promotion spot on goal difference from Middlesbrough and Millwall.

Whilst Kieran McKenna’s men have two games in hand, they know that things can change quickly if they drop points, so they will be desperate to beat the Canaries.

With Norwich flying under Philippe Clement, the hosts will believe they can put a major dent in Ipswich’s promotion hopes, so it promises to be a cracking atmosphere with so much on the line.

If that wasn’t enough, Marcelino Nunez is also set to return to Carrow Road, which will only add to the hostility for Ipswich.

Kieran McKenna claims Marcelino Nunez made a 'step up' joining Ipswich Town

The Chile international made the move from Norwich to Ipswich for an initial £7.5m in a move that caused plenty of uproar at the time.

Nunez will feel his decision is vindicated by the fact the Tractor Boys are pushing for automatic promotion, whilst Norwich are unlikely to make the play-offs.

As well as that, McKenna’s side got the bragging rights earlier in the season, as they won the fixture 3-1 at Portman Road, although Nunez was only used from the bench.

After recovering from a hamstring injury, the 26-year-old started against Birmingham last time out, and he is likely to be in the XI from the off against Norwich.

So, he is sure to get plenty of stick from the home fans, but McKenna told the East Anglian Daily Times that he expects the player to deal with it, as he couldn’t resist reminding Norwich supporters that Nunez had made a ‘step up’.

“It’s so obvious to say (that he will face criticism), of course, when you make a move like that. It's not going to be popular with the club that you're leaving behind, but as I said at the time, I can only respect him as a person. He's come from Chile to try and make the best of his career over in England and that means trying to get to the Premier League.

“He had a couple of good seasons for Norwich, and then he made a really big step this year to a club that he felt had a better chance of achieving that goal and it was a step he wanted to make in his career. He's a confident but really humble guy, and he wanted to make that step and take it on, and I think I give him huge credit for that and I'd say he's made a really good fist of it so far.

“Of course, us as a team, as a club, him as a player, we know that he's not going to get a very warm welcome on Saturday because that's how football works. In terms of temperament, there's not many better than Marcelino, so I've no worries about him in that regard.”

Ipswich Town must not get distracted ahead of pivotal Norwich game

McKenna’s cheeky dig here won’t go down well with the Norwich fans, although he can back his comments up by looking at the table, and the reality is, right now, it has been a step up, and Nunez does have a chance of realising his Premier League dream with Ipswich this season.

But, the midfielder will know that he is in for a rough ride at Carrow Road, and you can understand why Norwich supporters were furious that he made the move to their rivals.

It certainly adds another dynamic to what is a feisty fixture anyway, and it promises to be a great watch for all neutrals on Saturday afternoon.

Norwich’s transformation under Clement has been remarkable, with only Coventry picking up more points than the Canaries or Ipswich since the ex-Rangers chief was appointed.

Therefore, this is a meeting of two of the best teams in the Championship, but there’s clearly more on the line for Ipswich, and they must not lose sight of the fact that this is another game in their promotion push, so they can’t play the occasion.

As for Norwich, they will be very motivated themselves. They would love to play their part in Ipswich missing out on the top two, and they will want to extend their dominance in this fixture at Carrow Road, whilst ensuring Nunez leaves with a loss would be the cherry on the cake for the Canaries supporters.