Alex Neil is urging Norwich City fans to put derby fever on hold until the Canaries take care of Championship business on Tuesday night at Blackburn (7:45pm).

Neil knows what is at stake when Ipswich head to Carrow Road this weekend, but the Scot insists Rovers must be dealt with first to maintain their promotion push.

'I don't mean any disrespect to the fans but it doesn't matter what they are focusing on. It's more about what my team have to focus on. Our whole focus is on Blackburn,' he said. 'Ipswich for me as a manager is an afterthought and my players should have no thoughts whatsoever.

'We have already had that chat about the (Blackburn) game and potentially this could be our hardest match of the week.

'We beat Watford 3-0 and we are all flying high, particularly the fans, but we have to take care of a really important game at Blackburn. For Sunday you won't need to motivate any player. It is a derby. Everyone will be up for it, fans and players, so that will take care of itself. We need to make sure we don't get complacent and they start to strut about thinking they are good players. We have to keep doing the things that have got us in this position and show the same desire at Blackburn as on Sunday.'

Neil has guided Norwich to six wins in eight league games since his arrival and the Canaries now look a different proposition from their autumn struggles.

'The team at the moment does not look like it is going to go through a slump. They are confident, they are playing well,' said Neil. 'I would be surprised if we went through a slump but of course on any given day you can win or lose a game. We just need to maintain our standards. I think there is an expectation. The players are turning up for games expecting to win if they do their jobs properly and there is no better feeling as a player.'