Big Baggies test for Canaries as the real football returns...

In their first game back in the Sky Bet Championship following the international break, City travels

to the Hawthorns to play sixth-place West Bromwich Albion in an attempt to avoid going seven

games without a victory.

The Canaries, who now sit on 18 points out of a possible 45 in the Championship, are looking to win

their first game since October 4th and maybe move up to 11th place in the standings after losing 2-0

to Bristol City 14 days ago. The team led by Carlos Corberan has only triumphed once in their last

seven games, and that success came in a thrilling 2-1 victory over Hull City at the KCOM Stadium.

The Black Country team is now six points outside of the automatic promotion spots and seven

points ahead of Norwich in the playoffs.

The Canaries have dropped their last three league games and drawn their last three against

Middlesborough, Preston North End, and Stoke City—teams that some bettors may have predicted

they would defeat.

The Canaries have only won once in their last seven games, just like West Brom. The main

distinction, though, is that their opponents this weekend have drawn six of those games and

avoided losing any of them.

But this fixture is one where Norwich don’t have many fond memories since their first meeting with

Albion back in 1907, having only been victorious in 22 of the 68 games between the two. They have

also only won once in the last six meetings between the two sides, winning 2-0 at Carrow Road in

January.

They have lost two of their last three trips to the Hawthorns and drawn the third, making them all

lacklustre. The last time the Canaries triumphed away at West Brom was in March 2016, when both

clubs were in the Premier League, and Norwich won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Robbie

Brady.Naturally, Corberan, a wonderful manager who has been somewhat successful

appointment during his tenure as West Brom manager, is in the dugout for Albion.

Since he was brought in, in October of 2022, he has managed 99 games, won 44, drawn 25, and lost

30. His tenure also included getting Albion into the play-off semi-final last season after finishing

fifth in the league, but his side lost to Southampton, who eventually won the final against Leeds

United, who beat Norwich in the other semi-final.

But he did lose the last time his side met City in the championship. Will that again be the case come

Saturday evening?

Norwich’s recent defensive troubles have not been helped by the absence of first-choice goalkeeper

Angus Gunn. But luckily for them, he is likely to return for this game after suffering a rib injury in

early October.

Given Ashley Barnes’ (leg), Josh Sargent’s (groin), and Onel Hernandez’s (leg) health concerns,

Borja Sainz will once again bear a significant portion of the attacking load this weekend.

Who will step up and win all three points on Saturday afternoon considering both teams have

performed poorly in the championship form table during their last seven games? Can the Canaries

defeat West Brom at the Hawthorns for the first time in more than eight years?

Or are they doomed to lose against Corberan’s team and suffer their fourth straight league loss?

Big Baggies test for Canaries as the real football returns