Christian Fassnacht may not have been involved in a derby before, but he knows exactly what the Ipswich Town rivalry means to Norwich City.

The 30-year-old joined the Canaries in the summer, signing for more than £1million from Swiss giants Young Boys, who have no significant local rivals.

Fassnacht has been left in no doubt as to the importance of the East Anglian Derby, however, with talk of Norfolk-Suffolk bragging rights ever since his move to the Championship.

“When I arrived here in Norwich, the derby was something team-mates told me about at the beginning,” he said. “I know how important this game will be.

“I’m not quite sure how long, but I know Norwich haven’t lost a game in over 10 years. I’m looking forward to this kind of game.

“In Switzerland I never had a real derby. We had a small one, but I’ve never experienced a real one like here.

“I think after the games we’ve had, the last few, we’re in a good mood. The energy in the team is really positive.

“When I look back at the last training sessions, the team are looking pretty positively to the future. We had some defeats in a row but now I think we’re back on our way.

“Me on my own and the team, we’re looking forward to these games and we want to create a positive run.”

The 19-cap international hit the ground running in NR1, scoring on his debut in a 4-4 thriller at Southampton and being a key part of a positive start to the campaign.

That form has declined, however, with only one goal contribution in his last 16 games. Fassnacht is still loving life at Carrow Road, however, after a marked improvement in the quality of facilities available to him.

“Everything is perfect here,” he continued, speaking to the club’s official matchday programme. “The training ground is fantastic.  It’s very different if I compare it back to Switzerland.

“We didn’t really have our own training ground so it’s more enjoyable coming in every morning, having meals before and after training, we never had that.

“Everything is completely new. Every day is a little bit different. In Switzerland I was in my comfort zone, I knew all the people, I spoke the language. I do speak English, but it’s not perfect.

“Here, I’m on my own with my wife. It’s been really exciting, I like it, and I’m really happy that I made the choice to come here.”