Man in the middle: Bankes tasked with keeping the derby day peace at Carrow Road

Norwich midfielder Moritz Leitner protests to referee Peter Bankes during City's 2-2 draw at Birmingham on the opening day of this season Picture: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images (Image: Paul Chesterton)

The Merseyside-based referee has show 117 yellow and four red cards during 27 matches so far this season, the majority of which have been in the Championship.

That included City's opening-day clash at Birmingham, booking three Norwich players, including Onel Hernandez after the winger took his shirt off during the celebrations of his injury-time equaliser.

Bankes' last Carrow Road game was the Canaries' 3-1 win over Aston Villa last April, booking seven players, as well as a 2-1 home defeat to Derby earlier in the season – controversially waving away penalty appeals after Josh Murphy had been brought down in the box by Rams keeper Scott Carson at 0-0.

He was also in charge in September 2016 when City threw away a 3-1 lead at Newcastle to lose 4-3 at St James' Park, booking five players on each side.

Aston Villa's Jack Grealish needs to maintain his form if Aston Villa are to clamber into the top six. Picture: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images (Image: ©Focus Images Limitedwww.focus-images.co.uk+447814 482222)

Bankes oversaw two Ipswich games last season, a 1-1 draw at Bolton in which just two players were booked and a 2-0 home victory over Reading, showing seven yellows.

Averaging over four yellows a match, the official showed an unusually high 12 bookings in a championship game earlier this season, as Brentford won 2-1 at home against Nottingham Forest in September, with a melee breaking out after Bankes had booked a home player for diving to try and win a penalty.

The assistant referees at Carrow Road will be Paul Hodskinson and Mark Dwyer, and the fourth official will be Andy Woolmer.

Just three yellow cards were shown during the 1-1 derby draw at Portman Road earlier this season, with Norwich midfielder Ben Godfrey cutting it fine with a poor tackle after coming on at half-time.

The last player to be sent off on derby day was Ipswich defender Christophe Berra at Carrow Road in the play-off semi-final second leg at Carrow Road in May 2015, using his hand to prevent a Nathan Redmond goal in the 49th minute with the score at 0-0 – with Wes Hoolahan scoring the resulting penalty as City won 3-1.