Two teams in strong form will lock horns in the Championship on Tuesday evening, with Norwich City welcoming Leeds United to Carrow Road.
Norwich are currently ninth in the Championship table, boasting 11 points from their opening seven matches, while Leeds sit fifth, three points ahead of their opponents in this contest.
Match preview
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Norwich have been victorious in three of their last four in the Championship, including a 3-2 success over Derby County on Saturday afternoon, with Borja Sainz scoring three times during an excellent performance.
Sainz has now managed six goals in seven Championship outings this term, with the 23-year-old in strong form, and a solid has allowed the Canaries to move into ninth position in the Championship table.
Johannes Hoff Thorup's side now have back-to-back home fixtures against Leeds and Hull City, and victories in both would certainly add to the team's confidence, with a push for the playoffs possible this term.
Norwich were sixth in the Championship in 2023-24, which saw them qualify for the playoffs, but they were beaten 4-0 by Leeds on aggregate in the semi-finals, so revenge will be on the home team's mind in this contest.
The Canaries have not managed to overcome Leeds since February 2019, losing five of their last six matches against Leeds, including the 4-0 defeat in the Championship playoffs last term.
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Leeds, meanwhile, boast a record of four wins, two draws and one defeat from their seven league matches this season to collect 14 points, which has left them in fifth spot in the table.
The Whites are only two points behind leaders West Bromwich Albion, and there is no question that they will be expecting to be in the promotion mix in the second tier this season.
Leeds will enter this match off the back of successive wins over Cardiff City and Coventry City, while they have kept clean sheets in five of their last six matches in the Championship.
Daniel Farke's side have the joint second-best defensive record in the Championship this season with just four conceded, with three of those coming on the opening weekend against Portsmouth.
Leeds finished third in the Championship last season to qualify for the playoffs, beating Norwich in the semi-finals, but they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Southampton in the final to remain in the second tier of English football.
Team News
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Norwich will be without the services of five players on Tuesday night, with Onel Hernandez, Liam Gibbs, Christian Fassnacht, Jakob Sorensen and Ashley Barnes unavailable for selection.
Sainz netted a hat trick against Derby on Saturday afternoon and will continue in the final third of the field, while no fresh fitness problems have been reported from the team's last game.
Head coach Thorup could therefore name an unchanged side, with Josh Sargent, who has scored twice in the Championship this season, set to lead the line.
As for Leeds, Daniel James, Maximilian Wober and Manor Solomon remain on the sidelines, while Ethan Ampadu is out due to the knee injury which he picked up against Coventry.
The extent of the issue is yet to be revealed, but Leeds are hopeful that Ampadu will not spend too long on the sidelines.
Ampadu's spot in the side could be taken by Ao Tanaka, with the 26-year-old replacing the Wales international in the latter stages of Saturday's contest at Elland Road.
Norwich City possible starting lineup:
Gunn; Fisher, Duffy, Cordoba, Doyle; Nunez, McLean; Crnac, Schwartau, Sainz; Sargent
Leeds United possible starting lineup:
Meslier; Bogle, Rodon, Struijk, Firpo; Tanaka, Gruev; Gnonto, Aaronson, Ramazani; Joseph
We say: Norwich City 1-2 Leeds United
Leeds have largely been defensively excellent this season; they may not be able to keep a clean sheet on Tuesday due to Norwich's quality in the final third of the field, but we are still backing the Whites to secure all three points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
