Predicted Norwich City Lineup To Face Barnsley In The EFL Championship
Norwich lost to the odd goal in seven, having been 3-1 up at the weekend, just as they did at Newcastle last season. Although the manager and plenty of players have changed since then, it seems the old habits haven’t and it’s something which needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
The Canaries’ defeat at the KCOM means a 7-game unbeaten run comes to an end, though their five previous games had all been draws so you can also describe the stats now as no win in 6, which is a concern.
A tricky game at Barnsley now follows and with Marco Stiepermann out with a groin injury, the boss may line up very similarly to how he did at Hull, though Moritz Leitner went off that day and could miss at least 4 weeks of action. Nelson Oliveira is out for a fortnight due to a calf injury while Harrison Reed is out due to sickness.
Alex Tettey’s knee problems seem to have come up again and he is also at the risk of a 2-game suspension. Marco Stiepermann and Tom Trybull are still out and Louis Thompson is a long-term absentee.
A 4-2-3-1 formation looks the way to go with key man James Maddison allowed once again to play just behind the striker and break into the box at will:
Probable Norwich XI
GK – Angus Gunn
Despite playing in the Championship, Gunn, in some way at least, is in England contention for the World Cup this summer and will hope his defenders can help him out a little more than they did at the weekend.
RB – Ivo Pinto
With Harrison Reed out due to sickness, Ivo Pinto, who played for 61 minutes against Hull City, should get to start here.
CB – Grant Hanley
Solid and dependable in this division, as proven over a number of seasons.
CB – Timm Klose
Forms, what on paper should be a very solid defence at Norwich but it’s one which is breached all too often.
LB – Jamal Lewis
This is a learning curve but he’s coping well and a big performance here would do him a world of good.
CM – Mario Vrancic
With Tettey struggling due to a knee problem, Vrancic should start here alongside Hoolahan.
CM – Wes Hoolahan
Came on at the weekend and might be given a starting midfield role now in the absence of Leitner.
RW – Marley Watkins
Will run around and cause as much fuss as possible in and around the Barnsley box.
CAM – James Maddison
The main man – scored a hat-trick at the weekend (albeit two were penalties) and is Norwich’s main hope of an away win it seems.
LW – Josh Murphy
May come in to freshen things up and offer his pace and skill.
ST – Dennis Srbeny
Dennis Srbeny could start up front in the absence of Nelson Oliveira and the pressure will be on him to get his name on the scoresheet.