In what is potentially the biggest match of Norwich’s season so far, promotion rivals Middlesbrough travel to Carrow Road on a Friday night under the floodlights. Of course, every game for the next month will be considering Norwich’s biggest game when they come round, but as the quality of opposition will not be as high as tonight then there is a certain air of certainty that whoever loses tonight has been dealt a hammer blow in the race for automatic promotion.
Norwich are, of course, the form side in the division – Alex Neil has transformed a lacklustre and defensively vulnerable side into a team in contention for the title. His record is absolutely incredible and the change in results has been testament to his spirit and determination into making Norwich into the best footballing side they can be. The return of Bradley Johnson will be a much-anticipated spectacle and I expect Neil to implement him straight back into the starting line up, at the expense of Nathan Redmond – who, incidentally, has been nominated for the Football League Young Player Of The Year award, but this will almost certainly go to a man visiting Carrow Road this evening. On-loan Chelsea striker Patrick Bamford has torn apart the Championship with seventeen goals so far and is someone that Seb Bassong and Russell Martin will need to keep quiet but also keep their eye on Jelle Vossen. The Belgian will look to create space that Bamford can exploit, with the midfield intent on supplying the two lethal finishers.
Alex Neil, meanwhile, will be back to full strength in the midfield with the return of lynchpin Johnson, and as aforementioned his inclusion is likely to come at the expense of Redmond. Stability at this time of the season but also keeping players fresh is key, but being able to play Norwich’s best side – excluding Lewis Grabban, if he’s injured – at this time, in this match, is crucial. Middlesbrough showed in the reverse fixture just what they could do when on top form and firing on all cylinders. The league standings have changed since then, granted, with the Canaries now above Boro but they’ve proved throughout the season why they would be worthy of promotion if they were to succeed in their quest.
For me, both teams are liable to free-scoring, yet Norwich’s defence has been much-improved and solid since Alex Neil came in. Both teams will score in my opinion and my mind says a draw but heart says a win; I’m going for a 3-1 Norwich victory, with Johnson marking his return with a stunning effort.
