Saturday 10th December 2016 Kickoff: 1500hrs
Barnsley v Norwich City
Football – England – Championship
There were two divisions between Barnsley and Norwich this last season as the former were plying their trade in League One, working their way to promotion via the playoffs whilst the Canaries were struggling to keep their head above water in the Premier League before ultimately succumbing. Nowadays the two are competing in the Championship and there are just five points separating them now. Barnsley can close that gap and keep up their bid for an unexpected playoff spot with a win on Saturday at Oakwell.
When a team is promoted to this division it’s often felt that survival is the main objective and that would certainly have been the case for Barnsley who are operating with one of the smallest budgets in the league. However, as we head towards the halfway point of the season the Yorkshire club sit in mid table and are as close to the top six as they are to the bottom three. It’s been a really positive start to life in England’s second tier but nobody at the club will be fooled into thinking their hard work is done. This time of the season is notoriously difficult for all clubs but particularly those with smaller squads of which Barnsley are. That made the win last week over Birmingham City even more crucial considering it was their first in five and only their second since the middle of September.
Norwich were up there with the pre season favourites for promotion, as teams who have been relegated from the Premier League tend to be. It’s not worked out as Alex Neil would have hoped, though, as the team have struggled toget over their hangover from last season and have not yet hit the heights that we have come to expect from them at this level. The 5-0 win over Brentford last Saturday was their first win in six games, losing their previous five. That run of form seen them drop out of the leading teams and left them playing catch up for automatic promotion and even a place in the playoffs. They are 12 points off of leaders Brighton having played a game less so they can ill afford to drop too many more points this side of Christmas if they wish to be in a position to challenge them and Newcastle who appear to be in pole position for the top two spots.
Barsnley v Norwich City Betting Tips
Rotherham and Nottingham Forest are the only two teams to have conceded more goals in the Championship this season than Norwich and they sit firmly at the bottom of the table. Their defensive problems are illustrated by the fact that Barnsley have conceded five fewer than them and they themselves have one of the worst defences in the league.
Whilst both these clubs have struggled to contain opposition attacks, they know the route to goal themselves and have combined for 66 goals in the league thus far. It’s a game that points to plenty of goals and that’s backed up by their respective records. Six of Barnsley’s last nine at home have seen three or more goals scored and 10 of Norwich last 12 have seen the same.
Over 2.5 goals 3/4 @ Bwin
