Southampton will go in search of a fifth straight victory in the Championship when they make the trip to Carrow Road on New Year's Day to tackle Norwich City.

The Saints, who are up in third spot in the Championship table, will enter the contest off the back of a 2-1 victory over Plymouth Argyle, while Norwich were beaten 1-0 at Millwall last time out.

Match preview

Norwich will be pleased to be back on home soil on Monday, as they will enter this contest off the back of successive 1-0 defeats on the road to West Bromwich Albion and Millwall.

David Wagner's side have dropped into 13th position due to their disappointing festive period, but they are only five points behind sixth-placed Hull City and are capable of embarking on an unbeaten run at any point due to the quality in their squad.

Norwich have won seven of their 12 home Championship matches this season, but they will be welcoming a Southampton side with the third-best away record in the second tier, with the Saints picking up an impressive 22 points on their travels.

The Canaries finished 13th in the Championship last season following their relegation from the Premier League, but they will be expecting to push for a playoff spot this term.

Norwich and Southampton played out a pulsating 4-4 draw in the Championship earlier this season, but the hosts have only beaten Monday's opponents once in the last seven meetings between the two sides.

Southampton, as mentioned, will enter this match off the back of a 2-1 win over Plymouth on Friday, with Carlos Alcaraz and Che Adams scoring the goals at St Mary's.

The Saints have posted four straight victories against Blackburn Rovers, Queens Park Rangers, Swansea City and Plymouth, scoring 11 times in the process and conceding zero, with their excellent form moving them into third spot in the Championship table.

Russell Martin's side have won 15, drawn six and lost four of their 25 league matches this season to collect 51 points, and they are now just three points behind second-placed Ipswich Town.

Southampton were relegated from the Premier League last season in 20th position, but they are among the favourites to earn promotion from the Championship in 2023-24, and the visitors will be eyeing a fifth straight league win on Monday ahead of a home game with Walsall in the FA Cup.

These two sides last met at Carrow Road during the 2021-22 Premier League season, and it was Norwich that recorded a 2-1 victory on that occasion.

Team News

Norwich will be without the services of two first-team players for this match due to injury, with Dimitris Giannoulis still out with a knock, while a groin issue will again sideline Jacob Sorensen.

Head coach Wagner is expected to resist the temptation to shuffle his pack following the narrow loss at Millwall, with the players that started that match likely to be given a shot at redemption.

However, there is expected to be an alteration in a wide area, with Jonathan Rowe, who has scored 10 Championship goals this season, set to be introduced into the XI.

As for Southampton, James Bree, Ross Stewart, Kamaldeen Sulemana and Juan Larios will miss out.

The Saints did not pick up any fresh problems against Plymouth, though, with the five changes that took place in the second half of the match all tactical calls.

Adams is again set to lead the line for the visitors to Carrow Road, with Adam Armstrong also expected to feature in an advanced area, while Sam Edozie is likely to keep his spot in the XI, leaving Joe Aribo and Sekou Mara on the bench.

Norwich City possible starting lineup:
Gunn; Stacey, Batth, Gibson, McCallum; Fassnacht, Sara, McLean, Rowe; Barnes, Ui-Jo

Southampton possible starting lineup:
Bazunu; Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Manning; Smallbone, Charles, Alcaraz; A Armstrong, Adams, Edozie

We say: Norwich City 2-2 Southampton

This has all of the makings of a fascinating match, and we are expecting it to be an entertaining contest. Southampton will go in search of a fifth straight Championship win, but Norwich have been strong at home this season, and we are therefore finding it difficult to separate the two teams.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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