Relegation thriller at Carrow Road
The relegation battle in the Premier League is coming to a head. The clash between Norwich and Burnley is one that fully depicts the relegation battle. Both teams are in desperate need of points.
If Norwich lose, then it looks very much like the Canaries will be relegated again. With a win there would still be a residual hope, especially as they would then drag their direct rivals deeper into the relegation maelstrom again. Kick-off is on Sunday at 3 p.m.
Norwich – Statistics & current form
Norwich are once again playing a season that is anything but good. Of course, the club does not have an extremely high quality in the squad and of course it has to be considered that the team was the relegation candidate number one from the beginning, but some individual slip-ups and indisputable performances were then too much. Even under the new coach Dean Smith, who was installed as Farke’s successor, things are not going well. Relegation seems inevitable.
Norwich concede the second most goals in the entire Premier League. Under these circumstances, it is problematic that the offensive is not working either. With only 18 goals, Norwich City has the worst attacking line-up in England’s top division. That is also a big problem. The Canaries have also picked up just two points from their last eight games, the worst record in the Premier League.
Burnley is an opponent that coach Smith’s team can beat. That should also be the hope of those in charge, to create some momentum with a win against a direct competitor. The team is in desperate need of this in its current form.
Norwich: Relegation is getting closer
As relegation draws closer. Newcastle have improved, Leeds have benefited significantly from the change of coach. There are currently four teams still in the absolute critical zone, three of whom are very likely to go down to the Championship. Everton have 25 points, Burnley 24, Watford 22 and Norwich only 18. The starting position is clear, a win is mandatory, losing is forbidden anyway. You might also notice that in the way they approach the game.
In other words, Norwich will try to focus on defence and avoid mistakes. That should help the team, because Norwich usually doesn’t create many chances. This was also the case in the 0-0 draw against Brighton last weekend. That game should have served as a good dress rehearsal for the game against Burnley, because defensively at least the Canaries didn’t offer too much.
Given the omens and the huge importance of this game, our prediction ahead of Norwich v Burnley is that the total will be less than 2.5 goals.
Predicted line-up of Norwich:
Krul – Byram, Hanley, Gibson, Giannoulis – Normann, Gilmour, Lees-Melou, McLean – Rashica, Pukki
Last matches played by Norwich:
Premier League
04/02 2022 – Brighton 0 – 0 Norwich
03/13 2022 – Leeds 2 – 1 Norwich
03/10 2022 – Norwich 1 – 3 Chelsea FC
03/05 2022 – Norwich 1 – 3 Brentford
FA Cup
03/02 2022 – Liverpool FC 2 – 1 Norwich
Burnley – Statistics & current form
For Burnley, the week’s catch-up game against Everton was a real liberation blow. Beating a direct rival 3-2, at home to Turf Moor and with the support of their fans, could still have an impact on the rest of their fight against relegation. Burnley have quality, added more in the winter and now want the next win in an important game.
Nevertheless, the overall form is not exactly outstanding. Before the win against Everton, Burnley had suffered four defeats in a row. Especially away from home this season, Burnley have only one win, seven defeats and an average of 0.64 points per game.
A plus point for Burnley is, of course, their defence. 42 goals conceded from 29 games is a rock-solid record, which so far means the visitors have the best defence of any team from 14th onwards in the Premier League table. At least that’s something Sean Dyche, the team’s coach, can rely on.
Norwich often a good opponent for Burnley
The other side of the coin, however, is evident in the offensive department. Norwich have the weakest attack, Burnley the third weakest attack in the Premier League. These are not good conditions. Equally, the win against Everton may have provided momentum and the three goals may have brought about a little more confidence in the attacking area.
Moreover, Norwich is an opponent Burnley actually enjoy playing. Only one of the last twelve direct encounters went to the Canaries, otherwise Burnley usually kept the upper hand. That would also be an advantage in this game. Because both teams are likely to be more defensive and don’t make much of an impact offensively, and also because they are the two teams with the fewest wins in the league (4 each), it’s even worth looking at the betting odds on a draw before the Norwich vs Burnley game.
Predicted line-up of Burnley:
Pope – Roberts, Tarkowski, Collins, Taylor – Westwood, Cork, Lennon, Cornet – Rodriguez, Weghorst
Last matches played by Burnley:
Premier League
04/06 2022 – Burnley 3 – 2 Everton
04/02 2022 – Burnley 0 – 2 Manchester City
03/12 2022 – Brentford 2 – 0 Burnley
03/05 2022 – Burnley 0 – 4 Chelsea FC
03/01 2022 – Burnley 0 – 2 Leicester
Norwich – Burnley Direct Comparison / H2H Record
Of 42 competitive games the two have played against each other, 19 have gone to Burnley, 14 to Norwich. The big difference is more evident in the recent past, here Norwich won only one of the last twelve games against this opponent. So the record is open to improvement, especially for the Canaries.
Norwich – Burnley Tip
Norwich have often shown themselves to be very unsettled and intimidated in recent weeks. The game against Burnley now is something like the last chance to stay in the league. This must be taken advantage of.
The visitors have the slightly better tendency, but it should be noted that both have problems especially in the offensive area. Therefore, our tip before the match Norwich against Burnley is that less than 2.5 goals will be scored.
