Manchester United vs Norwich City – Match Preview & Prediction

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Manchester United will play their first English Premier League home fixture of 2020 this Saturday when they host Norwich City. The Red Devils are coming off a 3-1 loss against Manchester City in the EFL Cup earlier this week. Meanwhile, Norwich secured a 4-2 win over Preston North End in the FA Cup third round this past weekend. Both sides, however, are looking to secure three points that could boost their position in the standings. This match will kick-off at 15:00 GMT.

Team News

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer received a huge boost ahead of Saturday’s match, as centre-back Harry Maguire could be available for selection despite previous reports that indicated the England international could face a lengthy spell out. Eric Bailly and Timothy Fosu-Mensah are nearing potential returns, but won’t be ready for this contest. Marcos Rojo, Axel Tuanzebe and Jesse Lingard remain sidelined. Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba have been ruled out as well. The Scotsman won’t be ready to return until February at the earliest.

Meanwhile, Norwich City will be depleted on the attacking end since both Teemu Pukki and Josip Drmic have been ruled out. Youngster Adam Idah could become an alternative to play upfront. Timm Klose and Ben Godfrey are other absentees for Daniel Farke’s side. But a couple of players – Jamal Lewis and Grant Hanley – should be fit here.

Form guide

Manchester United currently sit in fifth place of the Premier League standings, as they have 31 points out of 21 matches thanks to eight wins, seven draws and six losses. They have been slightly inconsistent over the last few weeks, however, as they have gone W2, D1, L2 over their previous five Premier League matches. Furthermore, they are coming off a loss against Manchester City in the EFL Cup earlier this week.

On the other hand, Norwich City continue to struggle in their return to the Premier League. The Canaries are sit dead last in the standings with 14 points out of 21 matches, and they are coming off back-to-back draws. Furthermore, Norwich have won just three matches all season long, and they have been struggling defensively. They have also conceded 41 goals — the league’s highest tally.

What is our recent record against Norwich City?

Manchester United have a clear edge in recent matches against Norwich. The Red Devils have won four of the previous five H2H meetings against The Canaries in the English Premier League. Furthermore, United have won nine of the 12 matches they have played against Norwich City this century. Only four of those matches have seen both sides scoring.

The previous meeting between these two clubs this season ended with a 3-1 away win for Manchester United. Scott McTominay, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford scored for United, while Onel Hernandez found the back of the net for Norwich.

Predicted outcome

Both Norwich City and Manchester United are coming off inconsistent runs of form, but United have the edge in terms of recent form, squad depth and overall talent. Manchester United should feel confident of getting a positive result since they will be playing at home, and Norwich can’t get a win to save their lives, especially considering they won’t have their star striker Pukki available. The Red Devils should be able to cruise towards a comfortable win in front of their own crowd.

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