Norwichvs.Swansea

The Canaries have had a particularly tricky run of fixtures lately, with back-to-back games against promotion contenders Sheffield United and Leeds United.

Match preview

Having lost both of those encounters - on top of their heavy defeat in the FA Cup to Brighton & Hove Albion on their travels - Norwich will welcome the opportunity to face off against a Swansea side that are two points and three places below them in the standings.

Finding consistency has been an issue for the hosts all season, with the club winning just one of their first five league games under Johannes Hoff Thorup, before going on a seven-match unbeaten run following their tricky start.

One of those defeats early on in the campaign was against this weekend's opponents, as Swansea ran out 1-0 winners in the reverse fixture back in September, with an own goal from Amankwah Forson proving the difference between the two sides on the day.

Further inconsistency throughout the campaign has hurt the hosts, as they won just two games between November 2 and December 21, a run spanning across 10 fixtures.

However, they picked up their form over the festive period with a four-match unbeaten run that yielded 10 points out of a possible 12.

Despite being unpredictable, Norwich have the third-strongest attacking record in the Championship, having netted 43 goals in 28 matches so far this season.

Unfortunately for the Canaries, they also have a habit of conceding goals, with 41 goals conceded so far this season - the seventh-worst defensive record in the league.

In particular, their defensive woes have been a major concern of late, as the hosts have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last nine home matches.

However, they have gained 10 more points from their home fixtures than their away games, so they will be hoping to get back on track against the Swans this weekend.

The Welsh outfit have been on a disappointing run of form since the turn of the year, with one point from a possible 12 in their last four matches.

Heavy defeats have been a theme in recent weeks, with Swansea suffering three consecutive away losses since the turn of the year in all competitions, being outscored by 10 goals to nil.

The most damaging loss came in their defeat away to local rivals Cardiff City last weekend, with a brace from Callum Robinson being followed by another goal for Dimitrios Goutas to ensure that the Bluebirds stole the spoils in the South Wales derby.

Further frustration followed in midweek, with Sheffield United helping their promotion fight with a 2-1 win at the Swansea.com Stadium, to leave the visitors winless in their last five matches in all competitions.

That result left the Swans in 15th in the table, and they will look to get their season heading in the right direction again this weekend.

With an equal eight-point gap separating Swansea from both the playoffs and the drop zone, the visitors will want to ensure that their recent slump does not carry on for much longer, so they can avoid being dragged into an unwanted relegation battle.

Norwich City Championship form:

W

D

W

W

L

L

Norwich City form (all competitions):

D

W

W

L

L

L

Swansea City Championship form:

W

W

L

D

L

L

Swansea City form (all competitions):

W

L

D

L

L

L

Team News

The hosts will be without their leading marksman Borja Sainz, as the Spaniard continues to serve his suspension for spitting at Sunderland's Chris Mepham last month.

Elsewhere, Gabe Forsyth (knee), Liam Gibbs (hamstring), Christian Fassnacht (leg) and Anis Ben Slimane (leg) remain out for the Canaries.

Meanwhile, the visitors will be without Kristian Pedersen (hamstring) and Josh Ginnelly (Achilles) until mid-February.

The Swans are still waiting to hear whether defender Harry Darling can play this weekend after they appealed his red card against Sheffield United earlier this week.

In a further blow for Swansea boss Luke Williams, Oliver Cooper remains out for the visitors, as he continues his recovery from a broken foot.

Norwich City possible starting lineup:

Gunn; Chrisene, Doyle, Duffy, Stacey; Marcondes, McLean, Fisher; Crnac, Schwartau, Dobbin

Swansea City possible starting lineup:

Vigouroux; Tymon, Christie, Cabango, Key; Peart-Harris, Grimes, Franco; Ronald, Cullen, Bianchini

We say: Norwich City 1-0 Swansea City

Both sides have endured difficult times in recent weeks, but we are going with the hosts to take the three points this weekend.

Norwich have a good record at home, and the Swans have lost four on the bounce away from home, so we expect the hosts to taste success here.

Written by

Tom Humphrey

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