Bristol City vs Norwich prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2023-12-02 13:30.
The first defeat of the Liam Manning era (W1, D1, L1) came Bristol City’s way at Southampton in midweek, with the Robins – not for the first time this term – left to rue a glut of missed chances. Ending up on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline, they’ve now failed to find the back of the net in seven of their 18 league games, with only three clubs holding a worse such record ahead of the round, and worryingly two of those are in the relegation zone!
Despite those damning statistics, Manning says he “remains confident” in his side’s scoring abilities ahead of a meeting with Norwich at Ashton Gate on Sunday, a team that have already beaten ‘to nil’ there this season in the Carabao Cup. But Bristol City will think they’re a different animal on the back of two successive home league wins, incentivised by the fact they could now string three together for the first time since August 2022.
In stark contrast to their hosts’ scoring struggles, the Canaries are actually the joint-second highest scorers in the Championship ahead of the round having netted 32 in their 18 games played to date, though they’re usually found wanting in defence, as evidenced by a midweek capitulation at Watford. Racing into a two-goal lead, David Wagner’s side would go on to lose 3-2, as they threw away the very tangible prospect of a third straight victory.
Norwich’s previous winless run lasted six games, and they’ll be hoping to stop this one dead in its tracks after just the one game against one of their more-favoured opponents. The Canaries have won nine of their last 13 H2Hs against the Robins (D3, L1), including that cup win at Ashton Gate in August, although they did lose this corresponding fixture here 1-0 last season.
Players to watch: Bristol City’s Mark Sykes was their matchwinner last time out at Ashton Gate against Middlesbrough, and he also struck the killer blow in this fixture last season! His Irish international teammate Adam Idah loves an away trip, netting four of his five goals for Norwich on the road, with all four arriving after the 70th minute.
Hot streak: Norwich boss David Wagner has lost five of his personal meetings with the Robins (W2) – against no club in his managerial career has he lost more games.