The Canaries travel up north on Saturday, where they will take on tenth placed Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. Both sides suffered a 1-0 defeat at home last season and Norwich will be looking to repeat a similar result this time around.
Sunderland
September was a fantastic month for Sunderland and Tony Mowbray, as they won four of their five matches. However, that form has come to a halt and they have now lost each of their last three Championship matches, with an aggregate score of 7-1. When playing at home, the Black Cats are yet to draw a match, winning 50% of their six games. They are relatively strong in attack and in defence, scoring 21 goals and conceding 15 in 13 matches. Winger, Jack Clarke, has been Sunderland's star player and he has netted eight times, the most in the Championship.
Last time out, Sunderland suffered a 1-0 defeat to league leaders, Leicester City, but they were able to hold their own for the majority of the match. The Foxes took the lead early on which would have been a blow to Mowbray's team talk. Sunderland tallied up 1.11 XG but they were unable to convert any of their opportunities.
Norwich
Norwich have had a similar start to the campaign as Sunderland, yet they are two points behind them in the table in 14th place on 17 points. The Canaries were flying at the beginning, but their form has dramatically decreased to the point where they have lost six of their last nine matches, including their last two. David Wagner's team have no issues in front of goal and they have the third best attacking record this season (1.85 goals per game) which only increases when on the road (2.17). That said, it is clear that they are vulnerable at the back, as they concede the joint most goals per game at 1.85 on average.
This week, they hosted Middlesbrough and lost the tie 2-1. Norwich allowed the visitors to register 19 shots at goal and they took most of their chances, but unfortunately for the hosts, they were not able to create many clear cut opportunities despite having spells of pressure. Jonathon Rowe scored his seventh of the campaign, but it was only a last minute consolation.
Verdict?
Goals have been a common feature for both clubs this season and especially in recent weeks. However for Norwich, it is an issue that the boss needs to address as a matter of urgency. Both teams scoring is a likely outcome and they will be desperate to overturn the poor run.
The final prediction is Sunderland 2-1 Norwich.
