Preview: Norwich City vs. Rotherham United - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 8 April 2023, 13:50
Playoff-chasing Norwich City returned to winning ways in the Championship on Good Friday, as did Rotherham United heading into Easter Monday's meeting at Carrow Road.

Both sides are separated by 11 places in the table following their recent dips in performances and results.

Match preview

Norwich needed a victory in the league after four without success, and they got just that in the 2-0 triumph at sixth-placed Blackburn Rovers.

The Canaries are seventh in the table, so the result was significant for David Wagner's men, who have slipped out of the top six after a run of results that saw them lose two and draw as many.

Maximum points was what the doctor ordered for Wagner's side, who could go back into the playoff positions with a win over Rotherham in round 41 and Blackburn are beaten by in-form Huddersfield Town.

The Canaries have a five-game winning run against the side they welcome in the next gameweek, while a sequence of four home wins on Easter Monday since April 2007 gives the hosts confidence to seal back-to-back triumphs.

As for Rotherham, an aggregate score of 11-3 on league games played on Easter Monday does not bode well for their prospects at Carrow Road.

Matt Taylor's team did return to winning ways on Good Friday with a 3-1 success at West Bromwich Albion to end a three-match run without maximum points.

Two defeats to Birmingham City and Preston North End have not been terminal for the Millers, who have picked up four points from the last available six.

Be that as it may, their poor road record makes them underdogs for Monday's clash at Norwich, with 15 points on their travels outdoing only two sides in the competition.

With three points and four places separating Rotherham from the bottom three, defeat at Norwich could see Taylor's men slide closer to the dreaded zone.

Norwich City Championship form:

W

L

D

D

L

W

Rotherham United Championship form:

D

W

L

L

D

W

Team News

Ben Gibson received his fifth booking in Good Friday's win at Blackburn and is suspended on Monday. The centre-back was probably not going to play anyway after going off injured in the 2-0 win.

Isaac Hayden — who has not played in 2023 — and Przemyslaw Placheta — uninvolved all season — are not expected to feature against Rotherham.

Captain Grant Hanley was stretchered off on Friday, so the centre-back should not feature when the Millers visit in the next gameweek, possibly forcing Wagner into playing a makeshift centre-back pairing.

Bailey Wright and Jamie Lindsay went off against West Brom and may not play in Monday's visit to Norwich.

Centre-back duo Grant Hall and Sean Morrison are still out due to hamstring and thigh injuries.

Taylor is not expected to deviate from his preferred 4-3-3 against the promotion-chasing side.

Norwich City possible starting lineup:

Gunn; Aarons, Omobamidele, McCallum, Giannoulis; Sorensen, Sara; Marquinhos, Gibbs, Hernandez; Sargent

Rotherham United possible starting lineup:

Johansson; Harding, Humphreys, Blackett, Bramall; Odofin, Coventry, Fosu-Henry; Ogbene, Hugill, Ferguson

We say: Norwich City 2-1 Rotherham United

The Canaries are expected to win this one despite injuries at the back and a two-game losing run at Carrow Road.

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