Manchester City vs Norwich City
When the Sky Blues and the Canaries met this early in a Premier League season the last time around, all hell broke loose at Carrow Road as the hosts defeated their highly-touted visitors.
And despite Manchester City demolishing them in the reverse fixture months later, the previous game will always be remembered fondly by Norwich City supporters.
The Canaries are hoping to repeat the same feat when they meet the Sky Blues anew as they’ll go toe-to-toe upon visiting them at the Etihad this weekend.
Both teams head into this fixture searching for their first victory of the 2021/22 season after failing to do so in the last time out, with City losing to Spurs and Norwich losing to Liverpool.
Neither have opened their scoring account in those losses. But this time, it’s safe to say that one of these teams will have their entries in the Premier League 2021 highlights reel.
Talking Points
Who can Manchester City rely on for consistent goals?
Manchester City are suddenly on a losing streak since they haven’t scored at all in their last two fixtures.
They lost to Leicester City in the Community Shield final and many of us were surprised when Tottenham beat them in the first Premier League matchday through the heroics of Son Heung-Min.
Despite having rich talent at their disposal, City still have a hole to fill. With Sergio Aguero departing for Barcelona, they have been looking for a world-class striker who they can rely on to score each and every game.
Harry Kane remains on top of their wishlist as the wantaway star shared his desire to play for the Citizens. But with his move to the Etihad yet to be confirmed, City may need to find solutions from within for now.
First things first, Pep Guardiola has to rotate his lineup since they have injury doubts ahead of their match against Norwich City.
Ilkay Gundogan — who was the catalyst to their resurgence last term — suffered a bad shoulder injury last weekend, while the prodigious Phil Foden remains sidelined due to a foot injury.
The great news, however, is that skipper Kevin De Bruyne is 100-per cent fit to start since he is in a much better shape. The Belgian ace notably didn’t start since he came off the bench against Tottenham.
De Bruyne’s impact will be felt since he provides stability in the middle and his gravity creates great opportunities for his teammates to score goals.
Mission Impossible for Norwich City
Norwich City’s preseason preparations were screwed due to COVID-19, and that showed during their 3-0 defeat against Liverpool.
Teemu Pukki, who just recovered from the coronavirus, did all he could to somehow make it even for the Canaries. However, they simply weren’t as clinical as their stronger opponents.
As the Canaries are slowly trying to build their rhythm, we expect a better showing in this upcoming game against the Sky Blues.
Daniel Farke’s side has no quit in them and he has a couple of players who can give headaches for the Citizens.
Teemu Pukki will always be their main man but this time he’ll be accompanied by the likes of Josh Sargent, Milot Rashica, Billy Gilmour, and Max Aarons – who are all eager to prove their worth in top-flight.
History
Prior to this Saturday, the Sky Blues and the Canaries have met 70 times, where the former have won in 37 games while the latter won in 10 along with 23 draws.
Norwich City shocked Manchester City with a 3-2 win at Carrow Road in September 2019 as Kenny McLean, Todd Cantwell, and Teemu Pukki cancelled out Sergio Aguero and Rodri’s goals.
However, Pep Guardiola’s side responded with a 5-0 home win in July 2020 as Kevin De Bruyne notched a brace while Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling, and Riyad Mahrez had one each.
Betting Tip
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Manchester City vs Norwich City | Manchester City Asian Handicap -2.25 @ 1.70 |
| August 21, 22:00 (GMT+8) |
We are expecting this to be a blowout in favour of Manchester City since they’re the heavily-favoured side in the SBOTOP Premier League 2021 odds.
The Sky Blues are installed at 1.17 to win, while the Canaries are the massive underdogs at 17.00 and chances for a draw are at 8.75 in the 1×2 market.
City are still smarting from their defeat against Tottenham. And given how tight the competition looks right now in the Premier League, Pep Guardiola’s side cannot afford to drop another winnable game.
They should be able to get their first three points this weekend at home, which should help them kickstart a new run as they aim for their fourth English top-flight title in the last five seasons.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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