The Norwich vs Manchester City ‘Match Week 25’ match will take place this Saturday, February 8, 2014 at the Carrow Road stadium. The City are currently resting in the second place of the Premier League table, with 53 points, 2 less than the leaders Arsenal. Norwich is 15th, with 24 points in their saldo.
After the loss against Chelsea, the first in the Premier League in their home ground, it is imperative that the City should win against Norwich and at least stay in second place. On the other hand, Norwich is currently out of the relegation struggle, so they will not have a desperate pressure of winning points against the title contenders, which may prove as an advantage for the home side.
Manchester City was in terrific form, until that loss against Chelsea. The problems they have with their currently injured players, plus the mediocre display against Mourinho’s side, raises the question – will City be able to bounce back after the setback and immediately shine again? Norwich clearly isn’t an opponent that City should be afraid of. They hammered them at Etihad 7-0 in the first part of the season. But, Norwich is incomparably tougher to beat when they play at their home turf, and if in this game City shows a display similar to the sea of mediocrity with which they countered Chelsea, they will clearly have problems dispatching them.
Manuel Pellegrini has problems with injuries of some of his key players, such as Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho. Additionally, Alvaro Negredo is also lightly injured, so only two attackers are available for picking – Dzeko and Jovetic. Nasri is also a long term injured player, and Javi Garcia began full training, but his fitness isn’t at maximum level, so it is not expected that he will feature in this match.
Related: Probable Manchester City Starting Lineup vs Norwich
On the other hand, Chris Hughton doesn’t have new injury concerns, with Bennett, Howson and Turner sidelined for a while.
Probable Lineups
Norwich – Ruddy, Martin, Olsson, Tettey, Yobo, Nguena, Snodgrass, Johnson, Hooper, Elmander, Gutierrez
Manchester City – Hart, Clichy, Nastasic, Kompany, Zabaleta, Silva, Milner, Yaya Toure, Navas, Dzeko, Jovetic
Norwich vs Manchester City Prediction
When we look at their current form, as well as a tradition, City is the clear favorite to win this one. Norwich only managed to win one out of their last nine league matches, and despite City’s loss in the derby, the title contenders are clearly in a better form at the moment. Norwich also won only one out of their last six clashes with Manchester City. Considering all the facts, the prediction is that Manchester City will win this match 3-1.
Norwich vs Manchester City TV Schedule
The Norwich vs Manchester City match will be televised on NBC Sports Live Extra at 7:00 AM Pacific (USA). For all other countries, check out LiveSoccerTV.
