Aston Villa are traveling to Carrow Road this weekend’s Premier League game. Both teams haven’t had the best of starts to this year’s Premier League season. Norwich are sitting 15th with 4 points, while Aston Villa are 17th with 3 points from 4 games. Both these teams invested heavily in the summer, with arguably Norwich being the more ambitious team this summer. Norwich have spent heavily on 3 new forwards and new midfielders in an effort to make Norwich more potent in attack. It has worked, Van Wolfswinkel, Elmander, Redmond and Fer have all scored for Norwich in either the League Cup or Premier League. Aston Villa’s new signings have been slowly gelling and only Luna and Okore have started for Aston Villa this season.
Last weekend, Aston Villa lost at home to Newcastle 2-1 while Norwich lost 2-0 to Tottenham. Aston Villa have also lost key defender Okore, who is injured for the remainder of the season. Meanwhile, Gary Hooper is nearing full match fitness for his new club and may feature in Saturday’s game. Norwich get their majority of points at home, meanwhile Aston Villa collect the majority of their points away. It’s safe to say that this game promises goals.
Paul Lambert also returns to his former club which he left controversially last July.
Team News:
Gary Hooper is expected to feature after recovering from a shin problem that has postponed his debut. Meanwhile, Ryan and Elliott Bennett will miss out who are sidelined with a knee injury.
Aston Villa will be without Jores Okore who is out for the remainder of the season after a ligament injury. Ciaran Clark is expected to fill in. Nathan Baker has also recovered from an ankle injury he sustained during the weekend. N’Zogbia remains a long-term injury.
Match Facts:
Villa have collected the most yellow cards (13) in the Premier League this season, but have also seen their opponents receive the most too (12).
Aston Villa won on both visits to Carrow Road last season: 4-1 in a League Cup quarter-final last December, and then 2-1 in the Premier League in May when Gabby Agbonlahor scored his second goal of the game in the last minute.
Norwich, like Villa, have yet to lead at half-time this season.
Likely Lineups:
Ruddy
Whittaker-Turner-Bassong-Garrido
Snodgrass-Fer-Tettey-Redmond
Elmander
Van Wolfswinkel
Benteke
Agbonlahor-Tonev-Weimann
Delph-Westwood
Bennett-Clark-Vlaar-Lowton
Guzan
Prediction:
Norwich 1-1 Aston Villa
I’m going for a draw, however I think the result will really depend on how Paul Lambert set’s his team up. I think Aston Villa can beat Norwich but under the condition that Bennett is brought back into the side, Tonev is given a chance out wide and Helenius plays behind Benteke. This add’s pace and strength into our attack. I know that Delph, Westwood and the defence can cope with Norwich’s attack. But I do expect goals in this game and Gary Hooper may spring a surprise or too, I’d also really watch out for Nathan Redmond, he was superb against Southampton and will cause us problems out wide.
what’s the story on lowton?
baccuna is playing well at RB lowton dropped it seems whichdoesnt surprise me he was piss poor last week and my worst against Newcastle, it was lucky for him pardew took remy off.
luna is getting a game of it against Snodgrass, expect em to put everything down our left next half.
playing well so far, effort has inproved 100%
benteke looks bad 🙁
I wonder if we can finally put 2 halfs together? please!
Kea’s been our best midfielder by far today. He’s been an absolute beast.
Watching in pub everyone else thinks he’s shit too lightweight and defensive liability. Ur watching a different game
I wonder that.
Lol. Not at all, he’s been very good defensively. He’s hardly been an attacking delight.
I’m not liking this at the minute all over us, cannot get out of our harf Abonglahor off helanius on.
Gabby off? Unless he’s hurting, no point. Tonev’s been decent, but tries far too hard too impress and needs to stop shooting all the time. Take him off instead.
We seem to have lost that midfield again, they cannot be fit , that WaS close we are struggling
when did they take wieman off?because he hasn’t done anything this half
guzan mom
Man of match Brad Guzman 5 minutes extra time
That’s what I’m saying mid fields gone again just looking at the ball.
We won shit we won
A CLEAN SHEET!
yeeeeeeesssssss!!!!
100% better effort than last week.
guzan! guzan! guzan!!
FUCK U OOH AH AND FUCK U TERRY 1-0 there’s ye’re clean sheet ye boring bastards!
Yep we fluckiky kept our first clean sheet for 27 games against a piss poor Norwich team what a great team we are!!
not to impressed with tonev not a team player trys to hard to be the hero
Agree Billy boots and he knew why they took him off, he just kicked at goal that would never get to the goalkeeper with the kick Paul lamberts on now, saying Guzman gets paid to save, and Benteke could be OK,
my sheets aint that clean after that last minute wonder save from guzan, I think I shit meself! 😉
On a serious note though what was Lambert thinkin takin gabby off and leaving tonev on? He was shocking all game, unless gabby is injured or somethin? And why the Fuck can’t we string 2 passes 2gether when we are winning? Wtf like we had so many open players but instead da player wit da ball just runs into 3 defenders? Just don’t fuckin get it!
Awful performance but result the IMp thing. Defensively all over the place and if it wasn’t for Guzan we prob would of lost. Agree about tonev so out if his depth it’s untrue and shud of been took of ages before. Kae better than last week but I’m beginning to think that playing away suits him more as at home he is clueless, bacuna grew as game went on but no way good enough to be a right bk. vlaar as dodgy as fuck in first half and lucky not to concede pen but improved second half. Kojak has got no left foot whatsoever and can’t head a ball or hold a ball up to save his life thou he at least got the goal after fucking up first one, helenius just awful I just don’t get him at all and Luna getting worse by the week how many times did they play it inside him second half and he still couldn’t defend knowing what they were going to do. Delph best outfield player IMO. But make no mistake about it both these teams are going to struggle if we were playing anyone in top ten today we would of got hammered.
What you are witnessing here is the exact reason why Randolph Lerner continues to take the piss. A win against Norwich and everything’s forgotten? I’m delighted we’ve won but I need a bit more than this before I’m turning into a Lambert lemming, UTV – might even watch match of the day for the first time in a month!!
So what your saying is, we are fucking useless, but a great win. Oohah you cannot have every thing or can we.? its a win Oohah you will have to start again now one clean sheet after 26 without two wins in 5 , sounds better.
I did say winning is more Important than performance but don’t let that cloud your judgement we are still a shower of shit who will struggle this season esp now Benteke is injured
Kerry, you can’t bring a player in and then hook him mate. Think what it would do for his confidence.
That said, I agree, he looked poor. early days though.
And yep, Gabby getting pulled surprised me a bit. He looked like he was causing them loads of trouble.
to all those dish the sh*t on us stick that clean sheet and 3points up were the sun don’t shine
upthevilla sir brad guzan
3 pts – that´s what matters. But our performance was poor. To many players out of form and without confidence. It was up to Guzan and his heroics to save the points. Our style of play in this game was shocking. Mishit shots, wrong passes, mistimed tackles, poor running.
But let´s forget it and thank god we somehow won this game.
99.9 % wanted a clean sheet and 3 points
excellent performances and clean sheets with 6 goals for. thats wot ur talking about !!!!!!DREAM ON he blooded the new players 2day and u can see that are not ready made premier stars, they will get better
iam done with this site adios
A clean sheet, I thought we’d never see one again!
Performance wasn’t great but then again we played well at Chelsea and got nothing and its the results that count.
Postives: Guzan at his best, better from Vlaar and KEA.. Thought Bacuna was very good too out of position, good set piece deliveries as well. Lowton doesn’t deserve to come back in IMO.
The negatives- Luna was torn apart by Snodgrass, not convinced about his defensive qualities. Tonev- just awful, constantly shooting when others are in better positions and hitting the target just once with a tame effort.
We’ll pick up enough wins on the road, at home is where the problems lie.