Match Preview: Norwich City v Aston Villa

by Dek Hogan

Who are we playing?
Norwich on Monday 28th December at 3.00pm

Where are we playing?
Carrow Road, 

Norwich

NR1 1JE

Delia's finger makes her feelings clear

Can I go? Allocation: 1,564 Sold out.

Easy to get to?
Trains are notoriously shite over Christmas so your best bet is either the coach or a designated driver.

Can I watch it on telly
You'll need a stream or a pub with a dodgy dish.

Ayew on the spot

Big game?
Huge.

True, we faced a very poor team in West Ham United but we battered them for much of the game. the second half performance igniting the passion of the Holte End as wave after wave of Villa attacks put the Irons right on the back foot.

Crocked

The telling point though is that we were unable to convert our dominance into three points. We are desperate for at least one natural goalscorer.

Still, it has to be said that Garde's Villa side did manage to prove entertainment rather than the despair we've grown used to and the fact that we failed to nab all the points only really matters if you still think we've got a cat in hell's chance of staying up.

Boxing Day was just good enough to give the dwindling band of optimists something to cling to, which could turn out to be quite cruel.

A telling point was that it took an injury to Sanchez to force Garde's hand and introduce the creativity and movement of Carles Gil.

Still, the only thing we can do is take each game as it comes.

Typical Norwich fan

Norwich up next and the high they'd have been on having beaten Manchester United will have been more than flattened after they were trounced at White Hart Lane.

Make no mistake, the Canaries will fight for everything in this one, so we'll have to too.

Do Norwich boast any famous fans?
Well, there's Stephen Fry, Delia of course and Myleene Klass off of Popstars

We've got athlete and Fighting Talk legend Katherine Merry.

So we win.

Who's playing for us?
Two games in three days means Garde may have to ring the changes in what will be a hard fought encounter. If Carles Gil hasn't done enough to earn a recall to the starting line-up, he may as well pack up and go home.

The conundrum is who to play up front. Persist with Rudy Gestede or give Scottie Sinclair another chance to prove he knows where the goal is. For all the bad press the French players have had, Jordan Veretout seems to grow in confidence and stature with every game.

Ain't that a kick in the head?

Carlos Sanchez definitely misses out with a hamstring injury.

Who's playing for them
Former Villa target Wes Hoolahan and Gary O'Neil are both expected to return.

Hoolahan and O'Neil were both rested for the trip to Spurs on Boxing Day, while Andre Wisdom is hoping to overcome a hamstring strain.




Any useless stats?
Of course, here you go:

• We have 29 victories over the Canaries while they have 17 wins over us, There have been 16 draws.

• Norwich City last beat us in May 2012. Managed by a certain Paul Lambert, they ran out 2-0 winners at Carrow Road. It was Alex McLeish's last game in charge of the Villa.

• Villa won the 1975 League Cup with a 1-0 win over Norwich. Ray Graydon's penalty was saved but he slotted home the rebound.

Prediction

Villa run out surprise 2-1 winners