Premier League: Gunners Take Aim at the Canaries on Boxing Day

Norwich City vs Arsenal

Following their resounding win over Sunderland in the EFL Cup quarter-finals yesterday, Arsenal plan to maintain their undefeated run in their upcoming visit at Carrow Road to face Norwich City.

Confidence is high for the Gunners right now. And as far as the Premier League is concerned, they are also in great shape since they hold the solo fourth spot at the table with 32 points. On the other hand, Norwich City are languishing at the bottom since they only have 10 points.

Compared to earlier this season where there’s more tension at the Emirates, Mikel Arteta can breathe easy for now since his squad is doing well. But the same can’t be said for Dean Smith, who replaced Daniel Farke last month, following a poor stretch of Premier League 2021 results.

The pre-match SBOTOP betting odds don’t offer much hope for the Canaries in this contest, seemingly paving the way for another three points for the Gunners.  However, Mikel Arteta and his boys aren’t going to take the hosts for granted.

Talking Points

Dean Smith face a daunting task for Norwich

Upon inheriting the squad during his appointment, Dean Smith knew that his work was cut out for him in trying to guide Norwich City out of the relegation zone.

But nothing much has changed since his arrival from Aston Villa because the Canaries have only picked up five points in his first six matches in charge – highlighted by a three-game losing streak against Tottenham, Manchester United, and Aston Villa.

During the said stretch, the Canaries failed to score a single goal while conceding six in return, which isn’t supposed to happen for a supposedly disciplined Dean Smith squad.

Norwich City have had their share of injuries and COVID-19 to their key players, and Smith is hopeful that some of them are ready to play following their 10-day hiatus.

Teemu Pukki will continue to shoulder the scoring load for Norwich City but he’ll need support up front. The impending returns of Milot Rashica (groin) and Joshua Sargent (COVID-19) should help them in that regard.

In addition, veteran shotstopper Tim Krul has the second-most saves so far this season with 58, which is a troubling sign that their backline needs to improve too.

Mikel Arteta has viable options for Arsenal

Given their congested schedule, albeit mostly against bottom-half clubs, Mikel Arteta is about to rotate his squad and he has options to choose from.

The Gunners haven’t skipped a beat without former captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as their youngsters continue to shine, much to their supporters’ delight.

Eddie Nketiah showed why he should be played more in the Premier League when he recorded a hat-trick against Sunderland, while Nicolas Pepe has shown improvement and Charlie Patino impressed on his senior debut.

Martin Odegaard, Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Magalhaes, Folarin Balogun, Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White, and Nuno Tavares have been proving their worth in these past few weeks as well.

Mikel Arteta has the leeway to tinker his lineup for this contest, although we expect him to bring back the likes of Kieran Tierney, Alexandre Lacazzette, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Aaron Ramsdale since they were rested yesterday.

History

Arsenal have owned their head-to-head matchup against Norwich City over the years. Prior to this weekend’s duel, they have faced off in 61 matches where the Gunners have won 30 times while the Canaries won in 11 along with 20 draws.

The Canaries have only won once against the Gunners in the last 29 years and they’ve played more league games on Boxing Day without ever winning than any other side (D1, L6).

Mikel Arteta’s side won in their earlier meeting last September with a score of 1-0 as currently exiled former captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang found the back of the net at the 66^th minute.

Should Arsenal win this contest, it’ll be only the third time that they’ll achieve a league double against Norwich City. They previously did it in 2004/05 and 2013/14.

Betting Tip

	Norwich City vs Arsenal	Arsenal Asian Handicap -1.25 @ 2.05
	December 26, 23:00 (GMT+8)

Arsenal are the overwhelming favourites in the updated Premier League 2021 odds. The Gunners are priced at 1.43 to win, while Norwich City are pegged at 6.80 and chances for a draw are at 4.40 in the 1X2 market.

Mikel Arteta may be offering some kind words to Dean Smith lately, but given their superb form compared to the Canaries, the Gunners should have no problems in taking home all three points and continue to hold on to the final top four spot.

 

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