Marcelino Nunez is sitting in the quiet of an empty Portman Road but he knows a very different scene awaits him over the border from Suffolk to Norfolk on Saturday. The man who crossed the divide is in for a hot reception back at Carrow Road.Nunez became the first player since Andy Marshall in 2001 to move from Norwich to Ipswich when he completed his £10m switch in August. A few weeks later, having scored the goal that settled the previous East Anglian derby in Norwich’s favour, he helped Ipswich beat their rivals for the first time in 16 years with a 3-1 win.
“It was an important challenge because Ipswich hadn’t beaten Norwich in so long and I had helped to extend that run even further,” he tells Sky Sports. “It was a big task but we managed to turn it around and end the run and I was really happy about it.”
That was clear from his celebrations that day at Portman Road, when he waved a corner flag in front of jubilant Ipswich fans after coming off the bench to set up the third goal against his old club.
Saturday 11th April 11:00am
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“It was natural, it just came to me spontaneously,” he says, looking over to the corner flag in question from his seat in the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand. “In South America, when you win a big derby you celebrate a lot and that South American side of me came out a bit.
“It was an emotional and important day. The coach talked about the fact we had that pressure of 16 years without winning the derby. I was motivated to end that run. Thank God we managed to do it.
“A derby has to be won and it has to be celebrated.”
The events of the last meeting add extra spice to Saturday’s fixture, live on Sky Sports. But Nunez is unfazed by the hostility that awaits him at Carrow Road. The Chile international, who joined Norwich from Universidad Catolica in 2022, feels he is well-equipped to cope.”In South America the derbies, the clásicos, are more intense, with more pressure,” he explains, speaking in his native Spanish. “And I think that works in my favour because I’ve played under pressure.
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Marcelino Nunez celebrates after helping Ipswich beat Norwich 3-1 in October
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Marcelino Nunez…
2026-04-11 07:00:00
