Preview: Norwich City vs. West Bromwich Albion - prediction, team news, lineups

The Canaries secured their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup with a win over Bristol Rovers in the week, whilst the Baggies breezed past Blackburn Rovers in the league last Saturday.

Match preview

After being forced to a 1-1 draw by Bristol Rovers in the original third-round clash at Carrow Road on January 6, Norwich City sealed a trip to Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool in the FA Cup later this month thanks to a 3-1 replay win at the Memorial Stadium last time out, with Gabriel Sara, Adam Idah and Kenny McLean finding the net in the West Country.

The Canaries have now won back-to-back matches across all competitions for the first time since November, as David Wagner's men travelled to the MKM Stadium last Friday in the Championship and collected maximum points from Hull City, with Jon Rowe and Christian Fassnacht scoring either side of the half-time break.

Four points from the last two second-tier contests since the turn of the calendar year have allowed Norwich to climb into 11th place in the league standings, meaning the East Anglians are just two points behind sixth-placed Coventry City after 27 games of an enthralling Championship term.

Staking a claim for best youngster in the division this season, Norwich academy graduate Rowe has bagged 11 goals and provided two assists during his breakthrough campaign at this level, including a brilliant brace in the Old Farm derby against Kieran McKenna's Ipswich Town on December 16.

The reverse fixture between Norwich and West Brom on Boxing Day produced a one-goal success at The Hawthorns for the hosts, with Borja Sainz's naivety reducing the Canaries to 10 men in the Black Country after just 33 minutes, leaving Wagner's side with a massive mountain to climb.

West Brom have now recorded four-straight victories at The Hawthorns following a 4-1 demolition of out-of-form Blackburn last weekend, with a Brandon Thomas-Asante brace, a first league goal for Tom Fellows and Dominic Hyam's own goal putting the Baggies into an unassailable lead after 63 minutes.

Carlos Corberan's side not are less potent on their Championship travels, though, with the West Midlands outfit losing three of their last four away contests in the division, including a 1-0 defeat at Swansea City on New Year's Day, when Liam Cullen bagged a second-half winner for the Welsh side.

The Baggies have made fifth place their own over the past few months, currently sitting five points above Mark Robins's Sky Blues in sixth and the same number ahead of Michael Beale's Sunderland in seventh, although the 13-point gap to Ipswich in second means that automatic promotions seems unlikely for the Albion.

With Josh Maja and Daryl Dike suffering their respective injury woes so far this term, former Salford City man Thomas-Asante has stepped up to the mark in attack, netting nine goals and providing two assists in 25 second-tier appearances for Saturday's visitors, with the 25-year-old scoring the winner during the reverse fixture on Boxing Day.

Following a trip to East Anglia this weekend, all attention will turn towards a Black Country derby with Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers in the fourth round of the FA Cup, with the Albion unbeaten at The Hawthorns against their arch rivals this century.

Norwich City Championship form:

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W

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Norwich City form (all competitions):

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L

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D

W

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West Bromwich Albion Championship form:

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L

W

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West Bromwich Albion form (all competitions):

L

W

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W

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Team News

Norwich boss Wagner has confirmed that Danny Batth will not feature this weekend due to a hamstring injury, with fellow centre-back Grant Hanley also out of contention.

Josh Sargent has made his much-awaited return to first-team action in recent games, and the American should lead the line for the Canaries once again.

Adam Forshaw is fit to feature following a bout of illness, whilst left-back Dimitrios Giannoulis is a doubt after being forced off at half time against Hull last week.

West Brom could hand a debut to attacker Andreas Weimann at Carrow Road, with the Championship veteran becoming the Baggies' first January signing after joining from Bristol City on loan.

Albion's forward line was already brimming with second-tier knowhow thanks to John Swift and Jed Wallace, with the latter making an appearance off the bench against Blackburn following an injury.

Matt Phillips and Maja are long-term absentees for Corberan's men, with both attackers facing a race to feature in the first team again this campaign.

Norwich City possible starting lineup:

Gunn; Stacey, Duffy, McLean, McCallum; Sara, Nunez, Rowe, Barnes, Sainz; Sargent

West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:

Palmer; Furlong, Bartley, Kipre, Townsend; Yokuslu, Mowatt, Fellows, Swift, Wallace; Thomas-Asante

We say: Norwich City 1-1 West Bromwich Albion

Norwich have shown their attacking prowess in recent away matches and should be relatively confident of earning a result on Saturday at Carrow Road.

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