Ipswich Town will be hungry to get back to winning ways when they make their eagerly-awaited trip to Upton Park.

Fixtures between the two 'A12 rivals' always have a special feel, and another red-hot atmosphere should ensure tomorrow's clash is no different.

Despite meeting so early in the season, the stage is perfectly set for another thrilling contest.

The sides lie third and fourth in the table, both with 14 points.

And Ipswich - who lost 3-2 at Stoke on Tuesday - have an extra motive for success after last season's play-off dreams were shattered at Upton Park.

Town won the first leg of the side's semi-final 1-0, thanks to a goal from Darren Bent.

But a 2-0 defeat in the return match left them shattered. West Ham then experienced that feeling themselves, having lost the final 1-0 to Crystal Palace.

This season, West Ham will be determined for promotion - either automatically or via the play-offs.

And they have made a decent start, winning five of their opening eight games.

Tomorrow, they will be aiming for a hat-trick after back-to-back wins against Sheffield United (2-1) and Rotherham (1-0).

Prior to that, they beat Reading (1-0), Crewe (3-2) and Burnley (1-0) and - on the opening day of the season - drew 0-0 at Leicester City.

Their two defeats were a 3-1 setback at Wigan Athletic and a 2-1 reverse at Coventry.

Alan Pardew's Hammers lost arguably their best player recently when England Under-21 ace Michael Carrick joined Tottenham Hotspur.

But they still boast a wealth of talent, including former England and Manchester United hero Teddy Sheringham.

He is top of the club's scoring charts with five.

Marlon Harewood - who once had a loan spell with Town - has three, while others off the mark for the new campaign include Bobby Zamora and Matthew Etherington.

At the other end, West Ham recently bolstered their defence by signing former Norwich City skipper Malky Mackay.