Norwich City welcome Manchester United to Carrow Road in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon knowing that they can cause an upset against the Red Devils.

The Canaries will head into the game feeling that they have nothing to lose against an Ole Gunnar Solskjaer side that is seriously struggling to create chances.

Norwich City

Daniel Farke's side only need to look at how they overcame Manchester City for when it comes preparing themselves for this meeting with the Red Devils.

That 3-2 win over Pep Guardiola's side was essentially hallmarked by the dual principles of staying incredibly tight as a defensive unit and, when the time was right, springing the trap on their opponents whenever the ball was lost high up the pitch.

Against a team that is likely to dominate the ball, Norwich will know that patient defending ultimately leads to gaps developing in behind - a blueprint laid down perfectly by Newcastle United earlier this month.

While United have spent this week preparing for a trip to Serbia in the Europa League, Norwich have been able to enjoy a full week on the training ground to fine tune their counter-attacking game plan.

However, despite their heroics against the Premier League champions, Norwich have largely failed to demonstrate a capacity to snatch results against teams around them, with the East Anglia side currently in 19th position after managing just two wins since August.

A 5-1 defeat to Aston Villa in their last home game, along with defeats at Burnley and Crystal Palace, illustrates how Farke's ambitious style, which revolves strongly around quickly playing out from the back, can often leave Norwich in perilous defensive positions at various points during games.

For a team battling relegation, adopting such an expansive style can be risky and lead to doubts among figures in the dressing room - something which may well become the case as the season goes on.

However, the prospect of facing United, a team that struggles when they have to dictate proceedings, gives Norwich a superb chance to rekindle the spirit that underpinned their performance against the Premier League champions last month.

Recent form: LWLLLD

Manchester United

United finally won an away game at the 12th time of asking against Partizan on Thursday night, with Anthony Martial marking a return to action by scoring from the spot.

Incredibly, that was the first away win since Solskjaer was appointed permanent manager in March and just the club's fourth win inside 90 minutes since April.

These facts serve to contextualise what was, despite the positive result, another performance devoid of perceptible strategy or conviction in Belgrade, with United not managing one shot on target from open play.

While United's defence has improved in the wake of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire joining the club - they have five clean sheets this season - their potency going forward is virtually non-existent.

Specifically, the Red Devils look deeply lost whenever presented with an opponent that decides to park men behind the ball and minimise space - a move employed by virtually every opponent and one that strips Solskjaer's players of their natural predilection for hitting teams at pace.

In their last 19 games in all competitions, United have managed to score more than one goal in a game on just one occasion - a 4-0 win over Chelsea on the opening day of the season, which now seems like a truly random anomaly.

This problem is something that Solskjaer must address if he is to encounter long-term success at Old Trafford, and especially if United are to claim three points this weekend against a side which will have no problems with keeping tight and waiting for their moment to break.

Perhaps the Norwegian's recent decision to make a switch to three at the back, with Martial and Marcus Rashford attacking down the middle, could stimulate a change of attacking fortunes against Norwich on Sunday.

Recent form: DWLDLD
Recent form (all competitions): WDDLDW

Team News

Ben Godfrey and Ralf Fahrmann are both expected to make returns to the squad after recovering from groin injuries.

Mario Vrancic has recovered from a long-term calf problem but still lacks proper fitness, meaning that the meeting with United comes too soon for him.

Grant Hanley, Timm Klose and Christoph Zimmerman are the club's long-term absentees, with all three unlikely to return until the New Year.

Solskjaer has confirmed that Paul Pogba will miss this game as he continues to recover from a foot injury, while Luke Shaw and Nemanja Matic are also definitely out of Sunday's clash.

Axel Tuanzebe and Diogo Dalot have suffered hip and groin problems respectively and there is no timescale on when they could return. Eric Bailly and Timothy Fosu-Mensah remain United's only two long-term injury victims.

Norwich City possible starting lineup:
Krul; Aarons, Amadou, Srbeny, Lewis; Tettey; Leitner, McLean, Buendia, Cantwell; Pukki

Manchester United possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Rojo, Maguire, Lindelof, Young; McTominay, Fred, Pereira; Martial, Rashford

Head To Head

United have enjoyed an impressive amount of dominance over Norwich in the Premier League era, avoiding defeat in 18 of their last 21 games against the Canaries in all competitions.

However, recent history suggests that Norwich should feel confident about claiming another scalp over a Manchester team this season.

The East Anglia side claimed a famous 2-1 win at Old Trafford in December 2015, while supporters still fondly remember a 1-0 victory courtesy of an Anthony Pilkington header in November 2012.

United's last visit to Carrow Road, a scrappy affair, was decided by a late Juan Mata goal in May 2016. A similar kind of contest could be in store for Solskjaer's team on Sunday.

We say: Norwich City 0-1 Manchester United

This will be a game devoid of much quality as United, currently lacking any attacking vitality, listlessly attempt to penetrate Norwich's low block while the home side does its best to launch counter-attacks down the pitch and damage United from set pieces.

It feels like this game - in similar fashion to the one in 2016 - could be decided by a defensive mistake, and at the moment Norwich look more likely to be the team that makes it.