Norwich City vs. Manchester City – preview and prediction – team news, and lineups
Norwich City will play Manchester City at Carrow Road on Saturday evening, pitting two in-form Premier League teams from opposing ends of the table against one another.
The Canaries haven’t lost in their past four games in all competitions, while the Citizens haven’t lost in the league since October of last year.
Match preview
Norwich has increased their Premier League survival chances in recent weeks, picking up seven points from a possible nine, one more than they had in their previous 12 league games.
Two crucial wins against fellow relegation hopefuls Everton and Watford in January were followed by a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace at home on Wednesday night.
Despite just earning a point, Dean Smith will take plenty of positives from the encounter, given that they were defeated 3-0 in the reverse fixture only six weeks ago.
Manchester City returned to winning ways with a straightforward 2-0 victory against Brentford at home on Wednesday night, after their impressive 12-game winning streak came to an end with a 1-1 draw at Southampton.
Riyad Mahrez, City’s leading scorer, scored the game’s first goal from the penalty spot five minutes before halftime, his 16th goal in all competitions, before Kevin De Bruyne swept in the second to put the game to bed.
Pep Guardiola’s team now has a 12-point lead at the top, however Liverpool, who are in second place, have two games in hand, including one against Leicester City on Thursday night.
Team News
After missing the midweek tie with Palace owing to sickness, Norwich will need to assess Joshua Sargent and Ozan Kabak ahead of kickoff.
With a thigh injury, Lukas Rupp is also questionable, but Tim Krul (shoulder), Jacob Sorensen (knee), and Andrew Omobamidele (back) are all out.
Angus Gunn, a former Manchester City goalkeeper, is expected to hold his spot in goal, with Grant Hanley and Ben Gibson the most likely centre-back pairing to start in the back four.
Billy Gilmour, a Chelsea loanee, might make his first league start in almost a month at the expense of Kenny McLean, with Pukki and Adam Idah likely to lead the line in attack once more.
Gabriel Jesus and Cole Palmer remain doubtful for Manchester City due to minor issues and will be examined prior to commencement.
Kyle Walker, who was relegated to the bench and did not play in midweek, is anticipated to start in place of John Stones, who is suspended for the Champions League last-16 meeting against Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday.
If Guardiola decides to rest two of De Bruyne, Rodri, or Bernardo Silva ahead of their European match, club captain Fernandinho and Ilkay Gundogan might start in midfield.
Riyad Mahrez, Jack Grealish, and Phil Foden could form a three-man assault for the Citizens, with the latter becoming the first City player since Sergio Aguero in 2014 to score in eight consecutive games for the club in all competitions if he scores this weekend.
Norwich City possible starting lineup:
Gunn; Aarons, Hanley, Gibson, Williams; Placheta, Gilmour, Lees-Melou, Rashica; Pukki, Idah
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Walker, Dias, Laporte, Cancelo; De Bruyne, Rodri, Silva; Mahrez, Foden, Grealish
Our Prediction: Under 4.5 Goals
Norwich has risen to the occasion in recent encounters with Man City, and they will fancy their chances of causing an upset in front of their home fans.
The Premier League leaders, on the other hand, will be heavy favorites for Saturday’s match, and they should have no trouble claiming their 20th top-flight victory of the season.
