Norwich City Vs Manchester United
Norwich City Vs Manchester United Saturday, 11 December 2021 – 17:30 (GMT)
English Premier League
Pick: Norwich City +1 (Asian Handicap)
Odds: 6/5
Bookmaker: 888Sport
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 9 December 2021)
Preview: None of the last fourteen league meetings in Norfolk have finished level, with Manchester United, rather unsurprisingly, prevailing more often than not (nine wins to five). However, Norwich have shown signs of life since the appointment of Dean Smith as manager, and are targeting a third successive game unbeaten at Carrow Road.
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Table of Contents
Norwich City – Signs of life from Canaries following Smith appointment?
It was good while it lasted. For a brief period following a four-game unbeaten run that was easily their most productive spell of the season so far, with eight points garnered out of a possible twelve, Norwich didn’t occupy last place in the Premier League. That has since changed after last week’s 3-0 defeat at Tottenham, in which familiar failings saw them well beaten and replace Newcastle at the foot of the table.
It could have been very different though, had several glorious openings not been spurned. The fact Norwich created enough to score, and were unfortunate not to do so for only the second game in five under Dean Smith, shows progress is being made. His predecessor oversaw seven blanks in the opening ten league games. Meanwhile the gap to safety has been significantly bridged too, now just three points.
Yet this bedding in period for Smith has been gentle to say the least, and things are about to stiffen considerably for the former Aston Villa tactician. Each of their next four opponents sit no lower than tenth, beginning with a rejuvenated Man Utd. The Canaries retain a wretched record in this fixture, losing eight of the past ten meetings, including both encounters the last time they were at this level, in 2019-20.
Manchester United – A work in progress under Fix-It Ralf?
Just three goals have been scored by either Manchester United or their opponents in the two matches Ralf Rangnick has taken charge of since replacing caretaker manager Michael Carrick. It’s early days but is this an early sign of what is to come? That the gung-ho, frantic football we had become accustomed to from this team are well and truly numbered? I suppose we are all learning as we go along.
All eleven players who started last week’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace were given the night off on Wednesday for the 1-1 draw against Young Boys. Both were at Old Trafford meaning Carrow Road marks the German’s first away outing of his United tenure. He couldn’t have wished for a better fixture in which to do so than against bottom club Norwich, for whom the Red Devils have beaten eight of the last ten times.
Fans liked what they saw in the Palace game. There was pressing from the outset, for a good 30 minutes or so, and there was plenty of chances created. Well, half-chances mostly. And having conceded in their first seven home league games this season, a first clean sheet at the Theatre of Dreams since April felt significant. However, Fred’s wonder goal was all that stood between them and another average result.
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Norwich City Vs Manchester United Betting Advice
Personally, I wasn’t overly enthralled with what I saw at Old Trafford this past week. And while the performance of a second string outfit in the Champions League mattered very little in the grand scheme of things, United were essentially at full strength for the league game against Palace but needed a spectacular late strike from that rare source of goals, the much-maligned Fred, to see off a team now 14th in the table.
Norwich City Vs Manchester United – Key Facts:
- Ahead of Gameweek 16 in the 2021-22 Premier League season, 14 places and as many points separated Norwich City (W2 D4 L9) in 20th from Manchester United (W7 D3 L5) in sixth.
- Manchester United have won all but two of the previous ten Premier League meetings between the clubs, winning home and away (4-0 & 1-3) the last time Norwich were at this level in 2019-20.
- Norwich are yet to lose at home (W1 D1) under new manager Dean Smith. United have one win from their last four away league matches (D1 L2) – thrashed 4-1 at Watford in the most recent of those.
Since Dean Smith arrived at Norwich, they have lost one game in five (W2 D2) and earned four points from matches against Southampton (2-1) and Wolves (0-0) at Carrow Road. Four of those games seen them concede no more than one goal, yet score once themselves across the last three. Man Utd are an upgrade on anything faced recently, although this is also a United team coming off one win in four away league games (D1 L2).
Best Betting Odds – Norwich City Vs Manchester United
Norwich City – 6/1 (BetFred)
Draw – 7/2 (PaddyPower)
Manchester United – 1/2 (Coral)
