SM
Ipswich vs. Man United: 9 hrs 16 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data
NL
Championship | Gameweek 45
May 1, 2021 at 3pm UK
Carrow Road
RL

Norwich
4 - 1
Reading

Dowell (30', 64'), Quintilla (78'), Pukki (85')
Aarons (17'), Skipp (42')
FT(HT: 1-1)
Laurent (12')
Richards (25'), Semedo (77')

Preview: Norwich City vs. Reading - prediction, team news, lineups

:Headline: Preview: Norwich City vs. Reading - prediction, team news, lineups:
Sports Mole previews Saturday's Championship clash between Norwich City and Reading, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Sports Mole

Norwich City will win the Championship title if they beat seventh-place Reading on Saturday afternoon.

The Canaries are five points ahead of second-place Watford, so would also clinch the trophy regardless of the result if the Hornets drop points against Brentford.


Match preview

Norwich got back to winning ways last Saturday as goals from Xavi Quintilla, Max Aarons and Emiliano Buendia helped secure a 3-1 victory over Queens Park Rangers.

The Canaries had secured promotion back to the Premier League without even playing the previous weekend but then lost their following two games to Bournemouth and Watford.

Both of those defeats came at home, meaning that Daniel Farke's side have actually only won one of their last four games at Carrow Road although that was the sensational 7-0 thrashing of Huddersfield Town.

Nonetheless, the league title would be just reward for a side who have held top spot since November – unseating Reading – and been far the best side in the division across the whole campaign.

Farke and his players will be keen to wrap up the trophy in style with two games left that look a lot less dangerous than they perhaps did a month ago. Indeed, Norwich will hope that next week Barnsley will be resting players ahead of the playoffs, while Reading now have nothing to play for after seeing their own top-six hopes end last weekend.

It was a 2-2 draw against Swansea City that put the final nail in the Royals' playoff coffin; they opened the scoring through Yakou Meite but eventually had Tomas Esteves to thank for securing a point in second-half stoppage time.

The sense of disappointment at the Madejski Stadium was palpable, but Reading only have themselves to blame for throwing away what seemed like a fantastic opportunity to win promotion.

The Berkshire outfit may have had title aspirations of their own when they sat six points clear at the top of the table after eight games, and although the Royals quickly fell from that position, they continued to prove themselves as playoff contenders.

However, Reading have failed to perform when it matters most and a run of one victory in their last nine matches has consigned them to a ninth consecutive season in the second tier.

Veljko Paunovic said he was "proud" of the team's progression following a 14th-place finish last season, and although he makes a salient point, it will do little to console supporters at this moment in time after their almighty drop off.

Reading have not won any of their last six meetings with Norwich, with the Canaries winning 2-1 at the Madejski Stadium in December.

Norwich City Championship form:
  • D
  • W
  • W
  • L
  • L
  • W

Reading Championship form:
  • D
  • W
  • L
  • D
  • D
  • D



Team News

Norwich's team has largely picked itself in recent weeks, Farke is unlikely to make any changes as he seeks to wrap up the title; fringe players may then get an opportunity in the final game against Barnsley.

Dimitrios Giannoulis will serve the final game of his three-match suspension for his red card against Bournemouth, meaning Xavi Quintilla will continue to deputise at left-back.

Teemu Pukki is on a four-game goal drought since his hat trick against Huddersfield – he has never gone five consecutive Championship matches without finding the back of the net.

Paunovic has hinted that he may make changes for Reading's final two games of the campaign, saying they are "an opportunity to learn more about some players for the future".

Loanees Esteves and Lewis Gibson could be a given a chance so Paunovic can assess whether he wants them back next season, while youngsters such as Dejan Tetek or goalkeeper Luke Southwood may be trialled.

John Swift started for the first time in two months against Swansea after a hamstring injury and will be eager to keep his place.

Norwich City possible starting lineup:
Krul; Aarons, Omobamidele, Hanley, Quintilla; Skipp, McLean; Buendia, Dowell, Cantwell; Pukki

Reading possible starting lineup:
Rafael; Esteves, Moore, Holmes, Gibson; Tetek, Laurent; Meite, Swift, Ejaria; Puscas


We say: Norwich City 2-0 Reading

We expect Norwich to get over the line and lift the Championship trophy on Saturday afternoon. Reading will be deflated after their playoff dream was ended last week, making it a fairly straightforward task for the free-flowing Canaries.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data




body check tags ::

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


amp_article__445299 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2024-06-05 12:44:30:
html db last update - 2024-06-05 12:44:30 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html
Read more!
Share this article now:


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Recommended Next on SM
Daniel Farke urges Norwich to stay "disciplined and serious"
Title blow! Man City lose five in a row as four-goal Spurs dismantle the champions
"He's been unfairly judged" - Have the critics been too harsh on Arsenal's Merino?
Saturday's Championship predictions including Millwall vs. Sunderland
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd1610422191232
2Sunderland1594225111431
3Burnley168621961330
4Leeds UnitedLeeds158522491529
5Middlesbrough1683529191027
6West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom166821811726
7Watford168262524126
8Millwall156541813523
9Blackburn RoversBlackburn156451917222
10Bristol City165742020022
11Derby CountyDerby165562020020
12Stoke CityStoke165561920-120
13Norwich CityNorwich164752524119
14Swansea CitySwansea155461110119
15Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds165471826-819
16Luton TownLuton165381826-818
17Coventry CityCoventry164572223-117
18Oxford UnitedOxford Utd164571924-517
19Plymouth ArgylePlymouth164571728-1117
20Preston North EndPreston163761624-816
21Cardiff CityCardiff164481524-916
22Hull City163671621-515
23Portsmouth152671628-1212
24Queens Park RangersQPR161871326-1311
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

history www

Sunday's Premier League predictions including Ipswich Town vs. Man United

NEW

1

SP

European escape: National champions 'escalate' pursuit of Chelsea contract rebel

2

EE

Sunday's Turkish Super Lig predictions including Besiktas vs. Goztepe SK

NEW

3

ST

Sunday's Eredivisie predictions including Ajax vs. PEC Zwolle

NEW

4

SE

'Not good enough': Man United chiefs have 'serious doubts' over summer arrival

5

'G

Flick stunned! Ten-man Barca pegged back by Celta late on in Vigo

6

FS

Team News: Ipswich vs. Man Utd injury, suspension list, predicted XIs

7

TN

Another Ruben reunion? Man United add 'fan favourite' to left-back shortlist

8

AR

Why Liverpool have a psychological edge over Manchester City in the title race

9

WL

How could a Liverpool coach help star seal shock 2025 transfer?

10

HC


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .