England Premier League
Tuesday 14th December 2021
Kick off at 7:45pm
Venue: Carrow Road
Match Preview:
It’s 4 games without a win for Norwich and one has to wonder if their good form under Dean Smith has come to an end? Certainly a quick glance at their latest results would suggest so. However the Canaries had turned their form around and then had to face Tottenham and Manchester United, so perhaps they can be let off for losing those two games.
The Manchester United defeat took place last weekend and in all honesty Norwich played some good football and had chances against the Red Devils and United only won the game courtesy of a penalty. Norwich stay at home for this encounter and while they are bottom of the Premier League there is only a 3 point gap to safety.
Aston Villa have been solid under new manager Steven Gerrard, he has undertaken 5 games, won 3 and lost two although those defeats were against Manchester City and Liverpool. This past weekend Gerrard made an emotional trip back to Liverpool and were only outdone by a Mohamed Salah penalty in a 1-0 loss. Villa set up well and frustrated their hosts though the game plan was always to defend and perhaps come away from Anfield with a draw- this is underlined in the fact that Villa had zero shots on goal.
Villa come into this game in 13th place with 19 points but a win here could see them flirting with the top 10. Away from home it has been six defeats from eight games played though, including 4 from their last five but under Gerrard we have no real depth to look back on so it would be harsh to judge the club on their away form considering that.
Team News:
Norwich: Mathias Normann is being tipped to return for this game after his pelvic injury, Andrew Omobamidele has a back injury which ruled him out of the last game but he will be assessed. Milot Rashica is out for another 3 weeks with a groin injury. Christos Tzolis has Covid-19 and is ruled out. Christoph Zimmermann is still out with his ankle, Grant Hanley has a shoulder injury but will be assessed. Ben Gibson has a groin injury but will also be assessed with a chance of playing. Sam Byram has had some fitness issues for a few weeks yet and remains a doubt to return for this one.
Aston Villa: Leon Bailey has been ruled out for at least two weeks and it could be more with a thigh injury. Bertrand Traore has an on going thigh injury and is being pencilled in for a Boxing Day return.
Norwich vs Aston Villa Head to Head:
Aston Villa will have a great memory of their last visit to Norwich which took place in 2019 as they won 5-1.
5 of the last six meetings has seen both teams to score.
It’s been 17 years since the teams drew 0-0.
Norwich vs Aston Villa Prediction:
It is quite clear that Aston Villa are the better side and the worry for Norwich is that their injury list seems to be piling up. Away games are never easy in the Premier League though as Manchester United found out last weekend at this ground and they really had to dig deep.
However Villa are a good price to win the game and we need to look at the mental stability of the team under Gerrard. The future is uncertain for Gerrard at Villa but for now he has a team who want to play for him and you don’t get the feeling that even when Villa do lose games this season that they are going to lose badly. Each time since Gerrard’s arrival his team have put a shift in and with all due respect to Norwich, while they will fight this season and try to pick up the points at home they have been a poor side overall.
Our tip is for an away win but with the draw covered on the refund for extra safety, and keep an eye out for Danny Ings who should get a few chances here on goal and is also very good value to score.
Norwich vs Aston Villa Betting Tips:
Asian handicap (0.0 Aston Villa) at 1.625
Anytime goalscorer: Danny Ings at 2.40
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