S
SEARCH
M
SW
Thursday, December 24
Dec 19, 2020 at 12.30pm UK
NorwichNorwich City
2-0
CardiffCardiff City
Buendia (27'), Cantwell (70')
FT(HT: 1-0)

Nelson (54'), Ojo (57'), Bacuna (82'), Wilson (90+5')
/esi/1339/6_G_1_121749/index.html?art_id=426949&game_id=121749&sport_id=1&ESI

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

:Headline: Preview: Norwich City vs. Cardiff City - prediction, team news, lineups: ID:426949: from db_amp
Sports Mole previews Saturday's Championship clash between Norwich City and Cardiff City, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Championship leaders Norwich City have the chance to tighten their grip on top spot when they welcome Cardiff City to Carrow Road on Saturday lunchtime.

The Canaries are three points clear at the summit, while Cardiff are nine places worse off and fighting to stay in promotion contention.


Match preview

Norwich have now won each of their last four matches by the same 2-1 scoreline after overcoming fellow promotion contenders Reading on Wednesday evening.

Michael Olise quickly levelled after Emi Buendia had opened the scoring for Norwich, but Teemu Pukki's penalty 10 minutes into the second half proved the difference in Berkshire.

With Watford drawing at home to Brentford, Daniel Farke's men now have a six-point cushion on third place as they seek an instant return to the top flight.

Farke insists that he is taking nothing for granted, however, with a busy run of fixtures to come over the coming weeks.

Norwich's festive programme continues with this visit of Cardiff, who are the only side in the division in better form than their opponents over their last six matches.

Losing to bitter rivals Swansea City in the South Wales derby was a tough one for Neil Harris to take, but his side have won five games either side of that setback.

Wednesday's thrilling 3-2 victory over Birmingham City ensures that the Bluebirds are still in the promotion mix, three points off the top six with 27 matches still to go.

Sean Morrison was the last-minute hero for Cardiff in a match that also saw Robert Glatzel and Harry Wilson net in the absence of star striker Kieffer Moore.

Cardiff now need to maintain their momentum and have a good recent record in this fixture, having completed the double over Norwich the last time the sides were in the same league.

In fact, Norwich have lost more league games at home to Cardiff in the last seven clashes (two) than they did across the first 19 times they hosted the Bluebirds (one).

That sets up what should be a tight encounter between the division's most in-form sides.

Norwich City Championship form: DLWWWW

Cardiff City Championship form: WWWWLW


Team News

Norwich are still without a number of injured players, including the likes of goalkeeper Tim Krul, young attacker Adam Idah and winger Onel Hernandez.

Farke made a couple of changes at half time against Reading and praised the performance of Kieran Dowell, so he could return to the side this weekend.

As for Cardiff, Harris is having to make do without Moore and Lee Tomlin until the New Year, while full-back Jordi Osei-Tutu is also sidelined.

Joe Ralls is back from suspension following his red card against Swansea, however, while Mark Harris is another pushing for a recall to the XI.

Norwich City possible starting lineup:
McGovern; Aarons, Zimmermann, Hanley, Sorensen; Skipp, McLean; Cantwell, Buendia, Martin; Pukki

Cardiff City possible starting lineup:
Smithies; Bacuna, Morrison, Nelson, Bennett; Vaulks, Pack, Ralls; Wilson, Glatzel, Ojo


We say: Norwich City 1-1 Cardiff City

Norwich have taken 12 points from the last 12 on offer, while Cardiff have accrued 15 from the last 18, making them the Championship's most in-form sides.

Visiting boss Harris has lost his last three games against the Canaries, but we can see his side taking a point from this weekend's trip to Carrow Road.


Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a double chance bet on a home win or an away win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home/Away:data



amp_article_426949 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2020-12-17 21:10:32:
html db last update - 2020-12-23 13:41:42 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Read more!
Share this article now:
Championship Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Norwich CityNorwich20134329181143
2Bournemouth20108235161938
3Swansea CitySwansea20106423121136
4Brentford2098331181335
5Middlesbrough1996424141033
6Stoke CityStoke209652520533
7Reading2010373026433
8Watford198742215731
9Bristol City209382021-130
10Cardiff CityCardiff208572620629
11Blackburn RoversBlackburn2084834241028
12Huddersfield TownHuddersfield208482427-328
13Barnsley208482326-328
14Luton TownLuton207671721-427
15Preston North EndPreston2082102730-326
16Millwall2051051718-125
17Birmingham CityBirmingham205781723-622
18Coventry CityCoventry205782028-822
19Queens Park RangersQPR204881927-820
20Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2045111425-1117
21Rotherham UnitedRotherham1944111827-916
22Derby CountyDerby193791022-1216
23Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds2046101121-1012
24Wycombe WanderersWycombe2026121229-1712
Scroll for more - Tap for full version

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
UC
Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Championship Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Norwich CityNorwich20134329181143
2Bournemouth20108235161938
3Swansea CitySwansea20106423121136
4Brentford2098331181335
5Middlesbrough1996424141033
6Stoke CityStoke209652520533
7Reading2010373026433
8Watford198742215731
9Bristol City209382021-130
10Cardiff CityCardiff208572620629
11Blackburn RoversBlackburn2084834241028
12Huddersfield TownHuddersfield208482427-328
13Barnsley208482326-328
14Luton TownLuton207671721-427
15Preston North EndPreston2082102730-326
16Millwall2051051718-125
17Birmingham CityBirmingham205781723-622
18Coventry CityCoventry205782028-822
19Queens Park RangersQPR204881927-820
20Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2045111425-1117
21Rotherham UnitedRotherham1944111827-916
22Derby CountyDerby193791022-1216
23Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds2046101121-1012
24Wycombe WanderersWycombe2026121229-1712
Scroll for more - Tap for full version
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
X

We value your privacy

A part of our GDPR compliance we need to ask for your consent. We and our partners use technology such as cookies on Sports Mole to personalise content and ads, provide social media features, and analyse our traffic. Click below to consent to the use of this technology on Sports Mole.