Little doubt as to where all eyes will be tonight as the Canaries head to Molineux for their second, big away game in the space of 96, sapping hours – bang up front.
For of the four strikers likely to start this evening, three are bang on the money goals-wise.
Little more needs to be said about the run of form that the City strike pairing of Steve Morison and Grant Holt are currently enjoying. Holt’s fabulous pirouette and tucked finish in the 1-1 draw with Everton at the weekend took the 30-year-old to six goals in his last eight Premier League appearances.
At his side, Morison is just one behind with five from eight.
For the hosts, Steven Fletcher has been the main man with 15 goals from his last 23 games – the kind of record that could yet make for a twitchy transfer window.
The one missing out is Kevin Doyle. Without tempting fate, the £6.5 million signing from Reading in the summer of 2009 has just two goals to his name all season – and hasn’t scored since October.
On the back of Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat by Stoke City that kept Wolves perched all-too dangerously near the drop zone, boss Mick McCarthy was keeping his fingers crossed that form and fortune would return for his misfiring marksman as the two, long-time Championship rivals re-engaged in Premiership battle.
“I have faith in Kevin,” McCarthy told Sky Sports ahead of this evening’s game.
“Of course, we hope it turns for him. I don’t know how many chances we’ve created for him and, of course, he’s always whole-hearted. He puts everything he’s got into the games.
“Things go against you in games and don’t seem to be going for you and he just needs something to run for him.”
For his part Lambert was well aware of the threat the pair posed. He was equally expecting a large and boisterous crowd to await City at Molineux. The two sets of fans haven’t – traditionally – been the best of mates. It could all get quite lively, quite quickly.
“They are a good side,” said Lambert, in the happy position of being able to select from the same squad that he took to Merseyside at the weekend.
“It’s going to be tough for us with Doyle and Fletcher up front,” added the City chief. “But we will go up there with the confidence that we can win the game.”
The one, Wolves player that did stand out in Saturday’s home defeat was left winger Matt Jarvis, who ripped Jonathan Woodgate to pieces in the game’s opening exchanges and made clear the latter’s weaknesses when asked to play at full-back, rather than centre-half.
Time for Kyle Naughton to step up to the plate and match the Wolves winger pace for pace, stride for stride.
“I think Jarvo [Jarvis] has been excellent, certainly in the last two games,” McCarthy told Sky Sports.
“Against Manchester United, he was terrific and the reality is he caused havoc for 20 minutes against Stoke. It is great to see him back at his best. It means he must be back to the form which earned him an England call.”
As much as Lambert likes to keep everyone on their toes selection-wise, it would come as a big surprise if he overly-tinkered with tonight’s line-up.
Fatigue might play a part in his thinking after the weekend efforts at Everton, but given the form and Football League background of both Holt and Morison – in that they have been playing Saturday-Tuesday games for as long as they can both remember (and holding day jobs down in between0 – it would be a bold move indeed to split the pair up tonight.
Same again City, would be the expectation.
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