Burnley travel to Carrow Road this weekend to play Norwich City, looking to maintain their push for promotion to the Premier League.
Heading into this weekend, the Clarets are third in the Championship table, while Norwich are 10th and six points off the playoff zone.
Match preview
Manager of Burnley Scott Parker on August 31, 2024© Imago
After being relegated from the Premier League last season, the visitors appear to be serious contenders for an immediate return to the top flight.
Burnley are just four points behind league leaders Sheffield United and three points away from Leeds United, who sit second in the standings.
Head coach Scott Parker has made a bright start at Turf Moor, having replaced Vincent Kompany in the dugout at Turf Moor in the summer.
Part of the reason behind Parker's success at the club has been their strength in defence, with the Clarets boasting the best defensive record in the Championship, having conceded just seven goals.
Following a 1-0 defeat at Millwall at the start of November, the Clarets went five consecutive games without conceding, before their streak ended in a 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough last weekend.
Prior to the draw against Boro, Burnley had won four straight games in the league, but they were left frustrated again in midweek following a goalless draw with Derby County.
After dropping points in their last two home games, Burnley will likely be looking forward to being on their travels again this weekend.
The Clarets have gained 18 points on the road this season from 10 games, a record that can only be bettered by Sheffield United, who have 19 points from 11 away games.
Norwich City's Borja Sainz on September 28, 2024© Imago
Parker's men will feel confident that they can get a result this weekend too, as they come up against a Norwich side that have conceded 30 goals in 20 league games this season.
The Canaries took a small step in improving their defensive record on Tuesday night after a goalless draw with with Portsmouth at Fratton Park.
Before gaining that point in Hampshire, Johannes Hoff Thorup's men had failed to keep a clean sheet in 10 games in the Championship.
With only three clean sheets in the league so far this season, it has been a problem all year for the Yellows, as they have struggled for consistency.
Despite their defensive woes, Norwich possess a potent attack, with 35 goals scored this season - a tally only bettered by Leeds, who have scored one more goal than the Canaries.
A major contributor to that attacking success has been Borja Sainz, who leads the league in scoring with 15 goals so far.
If Norwich can find a way to correct their defensive issues, their attacking prowess could make all the difference in their bid to make the playoffs.
Norwich City Championship form:
Burnley Championship form:
Team News
Norwich Head Coach Johannes Hoff Thorup during the Pre-Season Friendly match at Carrow Road on August 3, 2024© Imago
The hosts will be missing midfielders Liam Gibbs (hamstring) and Gabe Forsyth (knee) until the end of the month.
In further bad news for the hosts, Josh Sargent has a groin injury and is not expected to be back until at least January.
Meanwhile, the visitors have several injury concerns in attack, with Lyle Foster (knee), Manuel Benson (calf) and Mike Tresor (leg) all out.
Additionally, Jordan Beyer has a hamstring injury, while Aaron Ramsey (ACL) and John Egan (leg) are sidelined until the new year.
Norwich City possible starting lineup:
Gunn; Doyle, Cordoba, Duffy, Stacey; Marcondes, McLean, Nunez; Barnes, Crnac, Sainz
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Trafford; Pires, Humphreys, Esteve, Roberts; Brownhill, Cullen, Sarmiento, Laurent, Anthony; Flemming
SM words green background
We say: Norwich City 0-1 Burnley
Burnley have been superb defensively this season, which gives them a great advantage in most matches that they play in.
With Norwich having a strong attack, they will certainly test the visitors this weekend, but we think that the Clarets will keep another clean sheet in a narrow win.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
ID:560557:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect10461:
Previews by email
Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!