Norwichvs.Portsmouth

Pompey are down in 19th place in the Championship table, while the Canaries are sitting in 13th position with four matches left to play.

Match preview

Norwich are on course for a midtable finish after seeing their playoff hopes quashed by a poor run of form that has seen them record just two victories in 12 matches (D5, L5).

The Canaries claimed the most recent of those wins in a home game against West Bromwich Albion at the end of March, but they have only taken a point from their three matches since that victory.

After losing away to Plymouth Argyle, Norwich played out a goalless draw with Sunderland, before they fell to a 2-1 defeat in Saturday's away clash against promotion-chasing Burnley.

Jack Stacey's 76th-minute effort proved to be a mere consolation at Turf Moor, as Norwich fell to a third consecutive away defeat, extending their winless run on the road to five matches.

Johannes Hoff Thorup's side will now return to the familiar surroundings of Carrow Road, where they have experienced mixed results in recent times, having won two, drawn two and lost one of their previous five home matches.

The Canaries can take confidence from the fact they have won their last two league games on Good Friday, beating Blackburn Rovers 2-0 in 2023 before recording a 2-1 win over Plymouth Argyle in 2024.

While Norwich only have league position to play for, Portsmouth still have work to do to make sure of their Championship status, having won just one of their last six matches.

John Mousinho's side bounced back from consecutive defeats with a narrow 1-0 win over Blackburn, before they fell to back-to-back away losses against Millwall and Coventry City.

They did at least manage to avoid a third consecutive loss in Saturday's home clash against relegation rivals Derby County, coming from behind on a couple of occasions to rescue a 2-2 draw thanks to a Rob Atkinson brace.

As a result, Portsmouth have a four-point cushion to the drop zone with four games left to play against Norwich, Watford, Sheffield Wednesday and Hull City.

Their hopes of extending that gap on Friday may be tempered by the fact they have lost 11 of their previous 12 Championship away matches, including defeats in each of their last four road trips.

They are at least unbeaten in each of their previous nine league games on Good Friday (W5, D4), while they have avoided defeat in their last three competitive games at Carrow Road.

Norwich City Championship form:

L

L

W

L

D

L

Portsmouth Championship form:

L

L

W

L

L

D

Team News

Norwich could be without the services of Ben Chrisene, Lewis Dobbin, Gabriel Forsyth, Lucien Mahovo, while there are also doubts surrounding the availability of Liam Gibbs and Matej Jurasek.

Onel Hernandez is unlikely to be involved, having been left out of the last two matchday squads for liking social media posts that were critical of the club and the head coach.

Midfielder Jacob Sorensen will have to be assessed after he was forced off in the closing stages of the first half against Burnley.

As for Portsmouth, they are unable to call upon Ibane Bowat, Alexander Milosevic, Hayden Matthews, Jacob Farrell, Paddy Lane and Callum Lang.

Forward Thomas Waddingham remains a doubt for Friday's away trip after he missed the draw against Derby with a hamstring issue.

Conor Shaughnessy has returned to training following a two-month spell on the sidelines, but the defender is not expected to be ready to feature in any of the two matches over the Easter period.

Norwich City possible starting lineup:

Gunn; Stacey, Duffy, Cordoba, Fisher; Nunez, McLean; Marcondes, Slimane, Sainz; Sargent

Portsmouth possible starting lineup:

Schmid; Swanson, Poole, Atkinson, Ogilvie; Potts, Dozzell; Ritchie, Aouchiche, Murphy; Bishop

We say: Norwich City 1-1 Portsmouth

Written by

Ben Sully

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