Norwich City will be bidding to return to winning ways in the Championship when they resume their 2022-23 campaign away to Swansea City on Saturday afternoon.
The Canaries suffered a 2-1 defeat to Middlesbrough in their last match on November 12 before the season was halted for the World Cup, while Swansea's last competitive fixture was the 0-0 draw with Huddersfield Town on the same afternoon.
Match preview
© Reuters
Swansea, as mentioned, have not been in competitive action since the goalless draw with Huddersfield in the Championship on December 12, which left them in eighth position in the table on 31 points.
The Welsh outfit have actually drawn four of their last five in the league, sharing the points with Bristol City, Wigan Athletic, Birmingham City and Huddersfield, with their last victory coming at home to Cardiff City on October 23.
Swansea are level on points with sixth-placed Queens Park Rangers and just two points behind fourth-placed Watford, so they are in a strong position in the table at this stage of the campaign.
Russell Martin's side played a mid-season friendly against Dundee United on December 3, with Jamie Paterson and Ryan Manning on the scoresheet for the Welsh outfit, with the match coming at the end of a week-long training camp in Scotland.
Swansea have lost three of their last four matches against Norwich, which have all come in the Championship, but they recorded a 2-0 victory when the two teams last locked horns in February 2021.
© Reuters
Norwich, meanwhile, suffered a 2-1 loss to Middlesbrough in their last game before the season was halted for the World Cup, with the result leaving them in fifth spot in the table on 32 points.
The Canaries have only actually won twice in the league since the start of October, but they are in a strong position in the table heading into the festive period, and it would be a huge shock if the team did not make a strong challenge for another return to the Premier League.
Norwich finished 20th in England's top flight last term, and they have not managed back-to-back seasons in the Premier League since 2014, which is an indication of their problems.
Dean Smith's side have been inconsistent on their travels in the Championship this term, winning four, drawing two and losing four of their 10 matches to collect 14 points.
Norwich have a huge game at home to Blackburn Rovers next weekend, while they will travel to Luton Town on Boxing Day before ending the month at home to Reading.
Team News
© Reuters
Swansea have had four players away at the World Cup, with Joe Allen, Ben Cabango and Olivier Ntcham selected for the competition, while Ollie Cooper travelled with Wales as a standby.
Cabango, Ntcham and Cooper are expected to be available for this match, but there is a slight doubt over Allen, who could be forced to sit this one out due to an ongoing hamstring problem.
Head coach Martin could potentially name the same XI that took to the field against Huddersfield last time out, with Joel Piroe, who has five Championship goals this season, leading the line.
As for Norwich, Andrew Omobamidele, Adam Idah, Jon Rowe and Jakob Sorensen remain unavailable for selection through injury.
Josh Sargent was in action for the USA at the 2022 World Cup, making three appearances at the competition, but he missed out against the Netherlands through injury, and the forward, who has scored nine Championship goals this season, is a doubt for this contest.
Onel Hernandez could therefore start alongside Teemu Pukki in the final third of the field, although Joe Hugill is another option to feature in the front two.
Swansea City possible starting lineup:
Benda; Wood-Gordon, Darling, Cabango; Latibeaudiere, Grimes, Fulton, Manning; Cooper, Piroe, Ntcham
Norwich City possible starting lineup:
Gunn; Aarons, Hanley, Gibson, McCallum; Sara, Hayden, McLean, Ramsey; Pukki, Hernandez
We say: Swansea City 1-1 Norwich City
It is difficult to know exactly what to expect from this match, as it is such a unique season due to the winter break. There is not an awful lot to separate the two sides in terms of quality, though, and we have therefore settled on a low-scoring draw in this contest.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
