Norwichvs.Coventry

The Canaries secured a hard-fought success at Luton Town to commence their 2025 schedule, whilst the Sky Blues were frustratingly held by Cardiff City in South Wales last time out.

Match preview

Following a four-game winless run at the beginning of December - a spell which yielded just the single point - Norwich City concluded their festive fixtures with a three-game unbeaten streak, with their second success of the period arriving at Kenilworth Road on New Year's Day.

The Canaries enjoyed victory on the road for the first time since late September last time out, when a second-half strike from midfielder Marcelino Nunez secured all three points against a Luton outfit who are struggling massively following their relegation from the Premier League in May.

Collecting seven points from their last three second-tier fixtures, Norwich have propelled themselves up to 11th spot in the Championship standings, 11 points ahead of the relegation zone and six points behind West Bromwich Albion, who are guarding entry to the playoffs.

Despite the Canaries winning just five of their 12 Carrow Road contests so far this season, supporters of the East Anglian club have not been starved of entertainment for the value of their season ticket, with Johannes Hoff Thorup's men scoring 29 goals at their base - only Leeds United (30) have netted more strikes across their respective home matches.

Speaking of goalscoring, 15-strike Spaniard Borja Sainz continues to lead the Championship's Golden Boot race boasting 15 efforts across 25 appearances, although the 23-year-old failed to find the net in December amid a seven-game drought as the attacker experiences a rare dip in form.

For the first time in seven years, Coventry City have welcomed in the New Year without Mark Robins at the helm, with Saturday's visitors to Carrow Road now eight matches into their Frank Lampard era, one which has been impacted by a number of key injuries and a lack of ruthlessness in front of goal.

The latter issue was painfully on display in South Wales on New Year's Day, when the Sky Blues were unable to break down a 10-man Cardiff side during the final 40 minutes of the second-tier contest, meaning that the visitors were forced to settle for 1-1 draw against the Bluebirds.

Despite the disappointment of essentially dropping two points last time out, Coventry are now three games unbeaten as they attempt to escape midtable mediocrity, with Lampard's troops currently occupying 14th spot in the Championship table, 10 points behind the playoffs.

The Sky Blues have struggled on the road all season and particularly since the arrival of Lampard in the dugout, with the East Midlands side collecting just the single point from their last three outings, a spell which includes a 4-1 battering at the home of relegation candidates Portsmouth on December 21.

Amongst a squad of misfiring forwards, summer arrival Jack Rudoni is enjoying the most productive campaign of his professional career since switching from Huddersfield Town, with the 23-year-old scoring three goals and providing six assists across 25 Championship appearances.

Norwich City Championship form:

D

L

L

W

D

W

Coventry City Championship form:

L

W

L

W

D

D

Team News

With leading marksman Sainz experiencing a dry patch in front of net, Norwich are missing the services of Josh Sargent, who has not featured since late October due to a groin issue.

The Canaries also have selection problems in their engine room, with Liam Gibbs (hamstring) and Anis Ben Slimane (leg) set to be sidelined for the majority of January.

Keeping two clean sheets during his last three starts, Oliver Dovin has appeared to have gained the trust of Coventry boss Lampard ahead of Bradley Collins.

The young Swede will remain in net for this weekend, especially considering the absence of Ben Wilson, who is struggling due with a knee issue.

Potentially joining Haji Wright and Ephron Mason-Clark in the treatment room, Tatsuhiro Sakamoto picked up an ankle knock during the closing stages of the Cardiff draw on Wednesday afternoon.

Norwich City possible starting lineup:

Gunn; Stacey, Duffy, Doyle, Chrisene; Crnac, Nunez, McLean; Marcondes, Sainz, Barnes

Coventry City possible starting lineup:

Dovin; Van Ewijk, Thomas, Latibeaudiere, Bidwell; Eccles, Sheaf, Rodrigues, Torp, Rudoni; Simms

We say: Norwich City 2-0 Coventry City

Averaging well over two goals per game at their Carrow Road base, Norwich should be able to bag a few strikes against a Coventry side who looked vulnerable at the back versus Cardiff last time out.

Written by

Carter White

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