Chris Sutton believes Ipswich might be given a “hammer blow” in the title fight against Leeds United and Leicester City before of their match against Norwich at Carrow Road.
With the current top three in the Championship separated by only two points, any slip-up might be crucial in the race for the title and automatic promotion.
The East Anglia derby will be Ipswich’s first hazard in a game their opponents must also win in order to qualify for the playoffs, prompting Sutton to predict a massive contest.
Sutton said on the It’s All Kicking Off podcast: “To be at the top of the Championship with six games left is extraordinary. You have Ipswich at the top, and they are in a tight competition with Leeds and Leicester, with only two points separating the top three.
“Norwich are in sixth place, and anyone from Hull in tenth has a chance of making the playoffs, so it’s huge for both teams. It might be pivotal, and it could be a crushing blow to whatever team does not win.
“Norwich performed quite poorly against Leicester. I’m just wondering how this game will play out. It is tremendously big and really tough to call. “Ipswich will fancy their chances.”
Chris Sutton explains the Ipswich verdict amid Leeds United’s title pursuit.
Leeds realize they still have a fight on their hands to earn automatic promotion from the Championship, or perhaps the title, given the standard established by their opponents.
However, if Leicester slip up in their big derby against Norwich, Daniel Farke’s team must be ready to capitalise, albeit a game against seventh-placed Coventry might be a tough test in itself.
The weekend’s matchups will pit first against sixth and second against seventh in a potentially important period for both the title race and the playoff race, which one of Leeds, Leicester, or Ipswich will be drawn into.
Ally McCoist and Alan Brazil declined to share their predictions, but felt that the drama of the championship race and the Championship as a whole had returned, and that calling the conclusion would require bravery.
