Croatia
Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

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

sportsmole.co.uk, 31 August 2023, 07:36
Two teams at opposite ends of the Championship table face off at the New York Stadium on Saturday as lowly Rotherham United entertain in-form Norwich City.

The Millers suffered a 6-1 EFL Cup thrashing at the hands of Stoke City on Tuesday, while the Canaries extended their hot streak with a 1-0 victory over Bristol City.

Match preview

Despite racking up 13 shots at the bet365 Stadium in midweek, Rotherham United endured a 6-1 crushing against Stoke City in the second round of the EFL Cup, conceding four first-half goals to end their hopes of progressing before the break.

Tuesday's thrashing followed successive 2-1 defeats against Sunderland and Leicester City in the league, meaning that Matt Taylor's men head into Saturday's clash on a three-game losing run across all competitions.

When you look at the bigger picture, the Millers have failed to win any of their six matches in normal time this season, with the South Yorkshire outfit requiring a penalty shootout to get past League Two side Morecambe in the first round of the EFL Cup.

It is also worth noting that Rotherham possess the worst defensive record in the Championship, having conceded 10 goals in four games, while only bottom club Sheffield Wednesday have picked up fewer points than Taylor's side.

After experiencing three promotions and three relegations since 2016-17, Rotherham look set for another topsy-turvy campaign as they battle to beat the drop once again.

By contrast, Norwich City have enjoyed a hugely impressive start to the season under the guidance of new manager David Wagner, picking up five wins and one draw in six matches across all competitions.

Thanks to a record of three victories and one draw in the league, the Canaries find themselves second in the Championship standings with the best offensive record in the division, having already scored 13 goals this term.

After kicking off their campaign with a 2-1 victory over Hull City, the Norfolk club served up a wild 4-4 draw with Southampton before claiming a 3-1 win against Millwall, with a 4-0 thrashing of Huddersfield Town coming last weekend.

Josh Sargent, Ashley Barnes, Adam Idah and Jonathan Rowe all found the back of the net last weekend, with the latter scoring for the fifth successive match, meaning that Rowe has netted five goals in as many games this season.

Norwich extended their unbeaten start to the campaign with a 1-0 victory over Bristol City in the second round of the EFL Cup on Tuesday, so the Canaries will be brimming with confidence as they prepare to travel to South Yorkshire.

Rotherham United Championship form:

Rotherham United form (all competitions):

L

W

D

L

L

L

Norwich City Championship form:

Norwich City form (all competitions):

W

D

W

W

W

W

Advert - content below:

Team News

With Shane Ferguson (hernia), Grant Hall (hamstring), Jamie Lindsay (Achilles) and Lee Peltier (calf) all sidelined through injury, Rotherham United are without a number of key players at the moment.

Matt Taylor is expected to stick with his favoured 4-4-2 formation, meaning that Jordan Hugill and Ciaran McGuckin will start in attack, while former Nottingham Forest pair Arvin Appiah and Cafu should feature in midfield.

As for Norwich City, David Wagner has confirmed that American forward Josh Sargent will be out for "months" with a "serious" ankle injury, meaning that Adam Idah will likely lead the line for the foreseeable future.

Sargent joins Grant Hanley (Achilles), Onel Hernandez (knee), Borja Sainz (ankle), Jacob Lungi Sorensen (groin) and Jonathan Tomkinson (ankle) on Norwich's injury list.

Having bagged five goals in five appearances this term, 20-year-old academy product Jonathan Rowe will feature being the striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Gabriel Sara and Kenny McLean anchoring the midfield.

Rotherham United possible starting lineup:

Phillips; Bola, Morrison, McCart, Bramall; Appiah, Humprheys, Cafu, Green; McGuckin, Hugill

Norwich City possible starting lineup:

Gunn; Stacey, Duffy, Gibson, Giannoulis; McLean, Sara; Fassnacht, Barnes, Rowe; Idah

We say: Rotherham United 0-3 Norwich City

While unbeaten Norwich are the top scorers in the Championship, winless Rotherham have the worst defensive record in the division.

Previews by email

Top News

22 December 2024 talksport.com Kylian Mbappe struck a landmark effort to put himself firmly among Real Madrid's elite. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has insisted that he is "absolutely happy" with his side's goalless draw at Everton on Sunday. 22 December 2024 talksport.com If you thought Mohamed Salah couldn't set yet another record, think again. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk For a second time in successive Gulf Cup competitions, The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait will meet in the group stage, with this upcoming game taking place on Tuesday at Jaber Al-Amad International Stadium in Kuwait City. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayer Leverkusen defender Jeremie Frimpong is supposedly not a 'concrete target' for Liverpool amid speculation over Trent Alexander-Arnold's future. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid moved into second spot in the La Liga table courtesy of a 4-2 success over Sevilla in Sunday afternoon's contest at Bernabeu, with Los Blancos ending 2024 on a high note. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Oman and Qatar will compete in the Gulf Cup for the first time in over a decade on Tuesday at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, each seeking their first victory in this edition of the tournament. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk New Wolverhampton Wanderers' boss Vitor Pereira earned three points when his side comfortably beat Ruud van Nistelrooy's Leicester City 3-0 away from home on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Aaron Ramsdale was spotted wearing a modified goalkeeper glove in Southampton's Premier League clash at Fulham. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea squandered the chance to go top of the Premier League table for a couple of hours as Everton held the Blues to a goalless stalemate at Goodison Park. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Djed Spence has been named in the Tottenham Hotspur starting XI for their Premier League clash with Liverpool, while Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo get the nod up front for the visitors. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Manchester United were beaten 3-0 by Bournemouth in a defeat that saw Ruben Amorim's side achieve an unwanted record. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Gary Neville believes that Ruben Amorim will allow Marcus Rashford to leave Manchester United for the sake of 'himself and the club'. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Pep Guardiola isn't immune from the sack at Manchester City having continued their unprecedented and dismal run of form. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly earmarked Leeds United shot-stopper Illan Meslier as one of two goalkeeper targets ahead of the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly identified Burnley's James Trafford as their top transfer target for the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Paris Saint-Germain defender Nuno Mendes has reportedly indicated he will take time to consider his future before he commits to a new contract. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Eddie Howe will be nervous about holding onto star striker Alexander Isak at Newcastle as his fine goalscoring form continues. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has named his starting side for Sunday's Premier League clash with Bournemouth at Old Trafford. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Enzo Maresca has opted to use Levi Colwill as a replacement for the suspended Marc Cucurella for Sunday's Premier League game at Everton. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal broke an English football record in their 5-1 Premier League thrashing of Crystal Palace on Saturday, but it came at a significant cost, as Bukayo Saka was taken off with a suspected hamstring problem in the first half. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku is allegedly generating interest from at least five clubs. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona reportedly remain fully behind head coach Hansi Flick despite the team's latest title setback against Atletico Madrid on Saturday night. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Southampton's new head coach Ivan Juric is one not to be messed with as his physical scrap with Torino's sporting director showed. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Seeking to pick up a third straight home win in the Primeira Liga, Vitoria de Guimaraes play host to Nacional at the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques on Monday. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim is reportedly looking for the Red Devils to build a new scouting team in Portugal in a bid to unearth the next Cristiano Ronaldo. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick is reportedly not interested in signing Manchester United attacker Alejandro Garnacho during next summer's transfer window. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool must take advantage of Tottenham Hotspur's considerable weaknesses and will be confident of victory on Sunday according to Reds expert David Lynch. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The January transfer window is almost here and clubs around the UK and Europe are lining up moves as they look to take advantage of the opportunity to strengthen. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Union Saint-Jean vs. Monaco (Sunday, 1.45pm) On Sunday, in a David vs. Goliath affair, Union Saint-Jean can pull off one of the biggest upsets in Coupe de France history when they take on Monaco in the round of 64 at Stadium de Toulouse.