Norwich City return to Championship action this afternoon as they host struggling Preston North End at Carrow Road looking for their fourth win in five matches.
Their opponents come into the game off the back of three straight defeats and David Wagner’s side have the chance to add further misery to Ryan Lowe and his men.
The Canaries have averaged 39% possession or less in each of their last three league matches, which yielded two wins and a defeat, and could seek more control in order to put in a convincing performance.
To do this, Wagner could make some changes to the starting XI that featured in their most recent win against Bristol City away from home last Sunday.
With this in mind, here is the possible Norwich line-up that could be selected to take on Preston on home soil today…
1
Angus Gunn
Starting off between the sticks, Angus Gunn should retain his position in the side after a strong performance on his return against the Robins.
The Scotland international made two crucial saves during the first half to keep his team in the match and earn himself a Sofascore rating of 7.7.
2
Jack Stacey
At right-back, Jack Stacey could make his 18th start of the Championship campaign since his move from Premier League side Bournemouth on a free transfer, ahead of the inexperienced Kellen Fisher.
23/24 Championship (via Sofascore) | Jack Stacey | Kellen Fisher |
|---|---|---|
Appearances | 19 | Four |
Sofascore rating | 6.93 | 6.75 |
Duel success rate | 52% | 58% |
Key passes per game | 1.1 | 0.8 |
Tackles per game | 2.2 | 1.3 |
3
Shane Duffy
Shane Duffy could keep his place at the heart of the defence after a commanding performance at the back against Bristol City on Sunday.
The Republic of Ireland international won seven of his nine duels throughout the 90 minutes, which included six of his seven aerial contests, and made six clearances.
4
Kenny McLean
Kenny McLean started in an unfamiliar centre-back position last weekend but it was one that he adapted to with ease as the Scotland international produced an impressive display.
He was brought in to replace Danny Batth in order to provide a left-footed balance and quality ball-playing out from the back, which eventually paid dividends in stoppage time with his assist for Adam Idah’s winner.
5
Dimitrios Giannoulis
The Greek international should start at left-back ahead of Sam McCallum after shaking off an injury scare against Bristol City on Sunday.
Dimitrios Giannoulis hobbled off after a rough challenge during the second half last time out and Wagner has since confirmed that the full-back will be available for selection against Preston.
6
Marcelino Nunez
McLean’s new role at centre-back and Adam Forshaw’s continued absence has provided central midfielder Marcelino Nunez with a big opportunity to nail down his place in the team.
The Chile international has only started four Championship matches so far this season and a strong performance against Preston could allow Wagner to trust him more moving forward.
7
Gabriel Sara
Possibly the easiest decision Wagner has to make is the selection of Gabriel Sara in midfield next to Nunez as the Brazilian magician has been in fantastic form this season.
He has racked up five goals, eight assists, and eight ‘big chances’ created in 19 league starts for the Canaries throughout the 2023/24 campaign to date.
8
Christian Fassnacht
The first change that could be made to the XI is Christian Fassnacht coming back into the starting XI in place of Onel Hernandez, who started on the left on Sunday.
Norwich’s summer signing could return and start on the right, which would then allow Jonathan Rowe to move over to the left, after a disappointing run of form from Hernandez.
The Cuba international has gone seven games without a goal or an assist and his last strike at Carrow Road came against Manchester United in a 3-1 defeat in October 2019.
Fassnacht has scored three goals in 11 league starts this season, including one in his last three starts, and could, therefore, provide a greater threat on the flank.
9
Borja Sainz
The second change that could be made to the XI is Spanish forward Borja Sainz coming in for Liam Gibbs as part of the dynamic front two in Wagner’s system.
Interestingly, the summer signing came off the bench against Bristol City in that position and it could get the best out of his knack for finding the back of the net.
Sainz, who scored against Fulham in the League Cup earlier this season, scored nine goals in 32 Super Lig starts for Giresunspor last term.
Gibbs, on the other hand, has managed one goal and zero assists in 43 Championship games for Norwich since the start of last season, which does not suggest that he is likely to have a telling impact on the match in a forward position.
10
Jonathan Rowe
Another simple selection for Wagner is to start Rowe out wide. The England U21 international is a constant threat to defenders with his direct running and pace, which has been backed up with seven goals and one assist in the league.
11
Adam Idah
The third and final change that could be made to the XI is Adam Idah being brought in to start ahead of Ashley Barnes, who has now gone seven matches without a goal or an assist.
23/24 Championship (via Sofascore) | Adam Idah | Ashley Barnes |
|---|---|---|
Appearances | 18 | Ten |
Starts | Eight | Nine |
Goals | Six | Two |
Assists | One | One |
Pass success rate | 80% | 76% |
Sofascore rating | 6.87 | 6.82 |
As you can see from the table above, the Republic of Ireland international has been more productive than the former Burnley man in the final third, albeit having featured in eight more matches.
Idah showed fantastic pace, strength, and composure to slot away the winning goal against Bristol City last time out and should be rewarded with a start in front of the home crowd this afternoon.
Wagner recently described the academy graduate as a “dangerous” substitute for Norwich to have but Barnes’ poor form in front of goal suggests that they need the Irishman in from the start whilst Ui-jo Hwang and Josh Sargent remain out injured.
