City play host to second-place Leicester at Carrow Road on Wednesday night as we look to record a statement victory to add to our impressive start to the 2023-24 Championship season under the leadership of David Wagner.
At the time of writing, we currently sit in fourth after Saturday afternoon’s hard-fought win against Stoke with Leicester up in second, only two points ahead of the Canaries.
When we last hosted the Foxes back in the 2021-22 season, Daniel Farke was in the dugout overseeing a 2-1 defeat – which we arguably should have drawn after Kenny McLean had a goal disallowed as Todd Cantwell was deemed to be obstructing the goalkeeper’s view from a corner.
We also haven’t beaten Leicester since the 2019-20 season when we won 1-0 at Carrow Road thanks to a wonderful volley from Jamal Lewis in what would be his last season at the club.
So, the past encounters and Leicester’s electric form as of late may swing the odds in their favour, but if we can resemble the majority of our performances this season, we could well cause an upset, and Wagner will be dancing in his tracksuit and cap in what would be a real statement to the rest of the league.
When I last wrote a match preview, we travelled to QPR back in April and drew 1-1. It’s now a brand new season, we have welcomed and said goodbye to many players, but this side has come so far since then and you would never believe it was practically the same set of players who find themselves just three points off the top of the league.
I won’t even try and decipher why that is because it would probably need two separate articles but this game is a huge test for the mentality of our players. We have to really dig deep and fight in order to get what would be arguably the biggest three points we could get all season.
Leicester were relegated last season after Dean Smith couldn’t keep them up (where have I heard that one before?) but they have had a severe rise in form and have a real attractiveness to them under the new leadership of Italian manager Enzo Maresca.
The Foxes have just one loss from six games this season and dismantled Southampton 4-1 away from home last Friday night. So… along come Norwich to (hopefully) ruin the party.
They also have had a major revamp to their squad after being relegated as expected but have brought in some top-class talents – Stephy Mavididi has two goals and two assists in six matches, and Harry Winks looks to be an excellent addition in midfield. Our entire squad will have to be alert and sharp to try and prevent their quality from making a drastic impact on the game.
PREDICTED LINEUPS:
Norwich City (4-4-2): Gunn; Stacey, Gibson, Duffy, Giannoulis; Rowe, Sara, McLean, Fassnacht; Idah, Barnes
I would like to think Wagner will not change his side given how well they have all performed as of late.
There is the potential that Hwang Ui-Jo may come into the team after his 30-minute cameo against Stoke but it may be that Wagner doesn’t think he is yet fully ready.
As we already know – Grant Hanley will remain absent for a few more weeks, maybe months, and we will be without Josh Sargent until Christmas.
Leicester City (4-3-3): Hermansen; Pereira, Doyle, Vestergaard, Justin; Dewsbury-Hall, Winks, Ndidi; Mavididi, Vardy, McAteer
I also don’t expect any changes from the Foxes either given the fact they have had an extra day of rest having played on Friday rather than Saturday, and this starting XI completely tore Southampton to shreds.
Kelechi Iheanacho and Patson Daka are options in the final third, but given Mavididi and Kasey McAteer’s recent form, they should keep their spots in the side especially as both wingers scored in last Friday night’s win alongside Jamie Vardy, who has scored against Norwich three times in the last four meetings.
Hamza Choudhury may also be considered for a recall in the centre of the pitch, with Maresca potentially switching his three-man midfield in order to rest some legs as the matches begin to come thick and fast.
MY PREDICTION:
Given how big of a test this game is going to be and how much of a tactical battle it will be between these two sides, I really have no idea how the game will go but I can’t see Leicester being stopped by anyone this season.
However, both sides have just as big a reason to win as the other at Carrow Road.
At the same time, we may well continue to surprise many punters given how well we’ve started the season (we also are yet to even draw at Carrow Road this season, let alone lose), but I think the gap in quality will play a big factor. Hopefully, the players prove me wrong once again.
Carrow Road needs to be bouncing for this fixture. I’m hoping that every City fan will be there backing the boys with every last part of their voice box as I strongly believe it will give our players an extra incentive to go out and get what could be vital points come the end of the season.
So given all of the above, I do think we’ll lose but we won’t be blown away. I reckon 2-1 to Leicester.
But for all we know, Wagner could pull off a tactical masterclass and frustrate the Foxes to keep the unbeaten at Carrow Road going for another week.
So, would you make any changes to my starting XI? And do you fancy City picking up all three points on Wednesday night?
Let me know in our comment section below.
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