3/1 To Win
Manager Frank Lampard has warned his Derby County side against complacency ahead of Wednesday’s long trip to Portman Road to face bottom-of-the-table Ipswich Town.
The Rams head into the game with confidence following an unbeaten run which stretches across their last five games in all competitions, whilst the Tractor Boys have lost their last four games in a row.
Lampard’s side ensured they kept up with the chasing pack on Saturday as they recorded a valuable three points with a 2-0 home victory against Hull City, who are on an upward curve in the Sky Bet Championship under Nigel Adkins.
“On reflection, the second half and the way we saw the game out was impressive,”
Lampard told RamsTV. “It’s not easy to do it in the Championship and we did it against a strong team so it was a great three points at home.
“I thought the atmosphere inside the stadium was great so it was a good afternoon all round but we have to shelve that one now and look forward.
“Ipswich is coming up next and it will be a very tough game on a Wednesday night against a side that are fighting for their lives and fighting for every point. It’s important that we try and keep this momentum that we have.”
Ipswich, who were beaten 3-0 at local rivals Norwich City on Sunday, are nine points adrift at the bottom of the Championship and have picked up 18 points from their 31 games so far this season.
Paul Lambert is the new man at the helm after replacing Paul Hurst earlier in the campaign and Lampard knows the threats that they can pose.
“I watched their game against Norwich on Sunday and there were parts of the game when they were really in it,” he said.
“At 1-0 down, they were in it for big periods and they created some decent chances and the game went against them.
“In terms of where they are in the table, it means nothing to me in terms of thinking it might be an easy game for us because when the team is fighting, and they have less and less to lose, they will give it everything.
“We have seen so many cup games this season where teams in leagues below have beaten teams in the Premier League so nothing can be taken for granted in football. Ipswich are at home and have players that can hurt us so we have to be at our best.
“We certainly can’t be complacent in any way and that’s not just before we go out, that’s from the minute Hull City finished and this game starts.
“We have to get the right idea and right way of approaching this game and it’s about making sure that we are completely on our guard. We will watch Ipswich, we will give them full respect and we will go there knowing we want the three points.”
Lampard could be handed a boost in attack ahead of the game with the return of two former Ipswich forwards.
He admitted: “Jack Marriott has trained fully with us today and will travel as will Tom Lawrence for the two games.
“Whether Wednesday might come too early for both of them, I don’t know, but they are in contention. When Saturday comes, at Brighton in the FA Cup, hopefully we can get some use out of both of them depending on their fitness.”
