Manchester City will hope to consolidate their place atop the Premier League table when they take on Norwich City at Carrow Road on Saturday.
The 2021/22 Premier League season moves into Gameweek 25 less than 48 hours after the previous round of fixtures ended. The action on Saturday ends at Carrow Road, where Norwich City will play hosts to Manchester City in a game with major implications on both ends of the table.
Norwich City returned to the Premier League ahead of the 2021/22 season as one of the favourites to return to the Championship. The Canaries have unsurprisingly been involved in the relegation battle and are currently 18th on the table, a point behind a resurgent Newcastle United. But Dean Smith’s men have shown promising signs lately, having not been beaten in any of their last three league games.
On the other hand, Manchester City might have been the most consistent team in Europe this term. The Citizens initially bided their time when Chelsea and Liverpool traded blows for the top spot in the Premier League standings. But when their rivals started tailing off, Pep Guardiola’s men ravaged through the competition to become the runaway leader, and are currently nine points ahead of Liverpool.
Manchester City cruised to a 5-0 win over Norwich City in the reverse fixture at the Etihad back in August. Ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the Premier League encounter.
Player to Watch
Norwich City
? DS: Josh Sargent is available for the weekend, however Ozan Kabak and Andrew Omobamidele are both unavailable.#NCFC | #NORMCI pic.twitter.com/VjbpER9ko1
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) February 11, 2022
Dean Smith has been handed a major boost on the team news front ahead of the visit of Manchester City. On Saturday, the Norwich City manager will only be bereft of the services of four first-team players.
The good news is that Josh Sargent is back in contention after recovering from an illness that forced him to miss the last two games. Sargent’s return leaves Tim Krul (shoulder), Ozan Kabak (illness), Jacob Sorensen (knee) and Andrew Omobamidele (back) on the sidelines.
Sargent should return to the starting eleven straight away, replacing Adam Idah in the strike partnership, which will also feature Teemu Pukki. Sargent’s movement will be critical in stretching a Manchester City defence that has been nearly impregnable this season.
The onus in midfield will be on Billy Gilmour and Pierre Lees-Melou to keep things tight in the centre of the park and restrict the Manchester City creative duo of Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva. The two wide midfielders, Przemyslaw Placheta and Milot Rashica will have a lot of defensive responsibilities but will also hold the key in advancing play during counter-attacks.
Captain Grant Hanley will have Ben Gibson as his central defensive partner, with the duo having a tricky job on Saturday. Max Aarons and Brandon Williams will be the two full-backs, with the pair likely to be pinned back for much of the game on Saturday. Angus Gunn will hold the fort in goal in the absence of Tim Krul.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Gunn; Aarons, Hanley, Gibson, Williams; Placheta, Gilmour, Lees-Melou, Rashica; Pukki, Sargent
Manchester City
Unlike his counterpart in the Norwich City dugout, Pep Guardiola does not have any player getting back in contention to feature ahead of the trip to Carrow Road. The Manchester City boss will miss out on the services of two first-team players on Saturday.
Gabriel Jesus is recovering from a knock that will keep him out for the remainder of February, while Cole Palmer is battling to overcome a foot injury. Otherwise, Guardiola has a near full-strength squad at his disposal for the game against Norwich City.
Counting down to the Canaries! ⏳#ManCity pic.twitter.com/8KpCM72QwB
— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 11, 2022
Ederson Moraes will take his place between the sticks against Norwich City, with Manchester City lining up in their usual 4-3-3 formation. Ruben Dias and John Stones will form a solid central defensive partnership, with Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo being the two full-backs.
Cancelo, in particular, will carry a lot of threat for Manchester City in the final third, with Walker reprising a more defensive role. Cancelo will form a dangerous creative trifecta along with Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne, with the latter enjoying a tremendous run of form.
Finally, Raheem Sterling will once again lead the line for Manchester City against Norwich City, with the English international’s movement holding the key for his side. Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden will be the two wide men who will pose a threat with their directness.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Dias, Stones, Cancelo; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Mahrez, Sterling, Foden
Key Stats
- Norwich City have conceded 41 goals in their last 12 Premier League meetings with Manchester City, who have won eight of those (D2 L2).
- Norwich have earned seven points from their previous three league games, just one fewer than they had in their last 12. The Canaries have scored six goals in those three league matches, as many as they had in their previous 15.
- Manchester City have won 17 of their last 19 games in all competitions and have taken 40 points out of a possible 42 in the Premier League. They have earned 20 successive league wins after taking the lead since a 3-2 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion in May 2021.
- Dean Smith is looking to become the first Norwich manager to go four Premier League fixtures without defeat since Chris Hughton in February 2013. But Smith lost all five competitive matches as Aston Villa head coach against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
- Manchester City’s tally of 16 different scorers in the Premier League this season is two more than the number of goals scored by Norwich.
Player to Watch
Riyad Mahrez
One of the virtues of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City is that the spotlight is never constantly on one player. Almost every regular in the Catalan tactician’s side is a match-winner in his own right, and the same goes for Riyad Mahrez.
The Algerian international will be hurting following an embarrassing Africa Cup of Nations campaign with his national team. Mahrez will be eager to make amends at club level, helping Manchester City retain their Premier League crown. With the critical phase of the season beginning soon, Mahrez will aim to be on top of his game to clinch a regular berth in the side.
Prediction
Norwich City 0-3 Manchester City
Norwich City might have enjoyed a superb run of form in recent weeks, but Manchester City will be a different gravy altogether. The reigning Premier League champions always find a way to shut off the best of teams, and the same goes for Norwich City.
While the Canaries will put up a spirited performance, they are unlikely to have enough firepower to trouble Ederson Moraes. Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling should be in top form at the opposite end, with Manchester City clinching a 3-0 win.
