Saturday 13th February 2016 Kickoff: 1500hrs
Norwich City v West Ham United
Football – England – Premier League
With 13 games to go in this season’s Premier League, we are very much reaching the business end of the campaign. Carrow Road plays host to a game where relegation-threatened Norwich face a West Ham team who are enjoying one of their best ever seasons in the top –flight. 16 points separate the two – in favour of the Hammers – but it’s fair to say the home team’s need is much greater at this stage.
Five straight defeats for Alex Neil’s men have put them right in the face of danger. Having earned promotion to the Premier League last season, coupled with a very competitive first half of this campaign, hopes were high that Norwich would be able to steer clear of a prolonged relegation battle. Unfortunately for all concerned at the club, their form and performances have taken a dramatic downturn in recent games. Having won consecutive league games to close out 2015, the Canaries have lost their last five – conceding 16 goals in the process. It has left them third-bottom, one point from safety. The gap between Newcastle and themselves is not the major worry, though, with the more pressing concern is putting a halt to this current run of form and restoring some much-needed confidence as they prepare for a season-defining spell. A win on Saturday would be the perfect tonic ahead of the last dozen games.
It has already been a very memorable week for West Ham as they recorded their first ever FA Cup win over Liverpool to progress to the fifth round of the famous competition. It was a game that could have gone either way but a last-minute goal in extra-time sealed a famous win. Celebrations would have been short-lived, however, as they prepare for another important league game against a team fighting for their lives. Slaven Bilic has certainly not prioritised either competition as both could secure their ultimate goal of playing European football next season at their new stadium. That said, the celebrations and effort that was evident against Liverpool on Tuesday night suggested that an extended run in the cup could be favoured over the league. Eight points behind fourth-placed Tottenham in the race for Champions League, it could be that finishing in those positions is beyond them, and winning the cup to achieve Europa League football would be much more significant than finishing in fifth.
If Norwich are to retain their Premier League status for another season, you would expect they have to improve defensively. As much as the recent run has seen a deluge of goals conceded, their overall defensive record leaves a lot to be desired. Sunderland are the only team to have shipped more goals in the league – by one goal. Neil has sought to improve the situation by bringing in a couple of defenders in the January transfer window, but it’s a very difficult position to slot straight into, especially when a team is low in confidence. The manager will be hoping Timm Klose and Ivo Pinto begin to demonstrate why they were brought to the club last month, beginning with big performances on Saturday.
There’s no question that tiredness and fatigue will come into play for Bilic’s men if he goes with the same team as Tuesday. It was a frantic 120 minutes and the emotion that went into the game will also have taken its toll, despite winning the game. The Croatian will be conscious of rotating his squad ahead of next week’s FA Cup tie with Blackburn at Ewood Park, and trying to find the balance will be difficult for a team who are not used to success in multiple competitions. One man who could find himself starting is Andy Carroll having come off the bench against his former club. The striker has not had the best of times since moving to West Ham but he remains an effective player, particularly away from him as his presence not only unsettles defenders, but his hold-up play is also very good.
Norwich City v West Ham Betting Tips
These two clubs played out a very entertaining 2-2 draw at Upton Park back in September. Ordinarily that would be seen as a good away point for Norwich considering their deplorable record on the road (two wins from 13 games) and playing against a team who sit in the top six. In the context of the game, however, it is very much two points lost for Neil’s men as they conceded an equaliser in the third minute of injury time. How important that Andy Carroll goal will turn out to be remains to be seen, but a win for Norwich would go some way to avenge that disappointment.
After the terrific start to the season on the road, where they won four of their first five, West Ham have actually only managed one more success away from home, that coming last month against one of the other promoted teams from last year, Bournemouth. The Hammers have lost their last two away games, against Newcastle and Southampton, which should give Norwich hope of getting a vital three points this weekend. They may have won only four games at Carrow Road this term but they are a much more competitive side when playing in front of their own supporters.
I expect this to be an extremely close encounter but I just favour the home team to put an end to their terrible recent run. West Ham went through the ringer on Tuesday and with Norwich’s need for the win, the selection in this one is a home win.
Norwich 29/20 @ Betvictor
