Seeking to consolidate their place in the Championship playoffs, Norwich City play host to relegation-threatened Plymouth Argyle at Carrow Road on Good Friday.
The two teams meet for the first time since September last year when the Pilgrims surprisingly thrashed the Canaries 6-2 at Home Park.
Match preview
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Just under three months ago, Norwich were languishing in 13th place and the pressure was mounting on manager David Wagner to keep his job. However, the Canaries have since turned their fortunes around in impressive fashion to put themselves back in the mix for a playoff spot.
Only league leaders Leeds United (34) have accumulated more points than Norwich (26) over the last 12 Championship matches, with the Canaries winning eight of those including a comfortable 3-0 success at Stoke City before the international break.
Goals from Joshua Sargent, Gabriel Sara and Ashley Barnes helped Norwich claim maximum points against the Potters and climb to sixth place in the table, three points clear of seventh-placed Hull City with eight games left to play.
Wagner and co will welcome a return to Carrow Road where they have won each of their last six league matches by an aggregate score of 18-4 – the last time that they boasted a longer winning streak on home soil was between September 2009 and January 2010 when they won 11 on the trot.
The Canaries have also come out on top in 14 of their last 19 home league meetings with Plymouth, so they will rightly feel optimistic of success on Good Friday as they endeavour to consolidate their place in the top six.
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While spirits are high within the Norwich camp, the same cannot be said about Plymouth who entered the international break following a run of just one win in their last nine Championship matches, losing six times and conceding 15 goals in the process.
After claiming a valuable point in a 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers, the Pilgrims were condemned to a slender 1-0 home defeat to Preston North End in their most recent match on March 16, with Liam Millar netting the only goal of the game on the stroke of half time.
Boasting only four wins from his first 15 games in charge of Plymouth, head coach Ian Foster sees his side sitting 18th in the Championship table, just two points above the relegation zone with eight matches remaining.
Plymouth have only scored one goal across their last four league fixtures, but they will be hoping to rediscover their form in front of goal on Good Friday against a Norwich side whom they hit for six in the reverse fixture, with star attacker Morgan Whittaker netting a hat-trick.
The Pilgrims, who have only lost two of their last eight games played on Good Friday, are looking to complete their first league double over the Canaries since the 2006-07 campaign under former boss Ian Holloway.
Team News
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Norwich winger Jon Rowe is closing in on a return from a hamstring injury, but Friday's game will come too soon for the 20-year-old, and the same can be said for Onel Hernandez (foot) and Dimitris Giannoulis (hamstring).
However, Shane Duffy could be in a position to return to the matchday squad after a spell out with a muscle problem, while Jacob Sorensen should have shaken off a knock in time to feature against Plymouth.
Danny Batth is in contention to return at centre-back, while a front four of Borja Sainz, Barnes, Sara and Sargent – who have scored 33 goals combined so far this season – is set to remain intact.
As for Plymouth, Darko Gyabi has returned to parent club Leeds United and is set to miss the rest of the season after undergoing groin surgery, while Bali Mumba and Mickel Miller will serve respective one and two-match suspensions due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
The absence of both players could see Lino Sousa handed a start at left wing-back, as Joe Edwards continued to operate on the opposite flank.
Top scorer Whittaker, who has 18 Championship goals to his name this term and is only three behind 21-goal Sammie Szmodics at the top of the charts, could be joined in attack by Ryan Hardie and either Mustapha Bundu or Ben Waine.
Norwich City possible starting lineup:
Gunn; Stacey, Batth, Gibson, McCallum; Nunez, McLean; Sara, Barnes, Sainz; Sargent
Plymouth Argyle possible starting lineup:
Cooper; Pleguezuelo, Phillips, Gibson; Edwards, Randall, Houghton, Sousa; Whittaker, Bundu; Hardie
We say: Norwich City 3-1 Plymouth Argyle
Both teams enter Friday's contest in contrasting form, but high-flying Norwich cannot take Plymouth lightly considering their thumping by the Pilgrims in the reverse fixture.
However, the Canaries are in a strong position this time around to gain revenge and have plenty of attacking options at their disposal to outscore their opponents en route to an important victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Oliver Thomas
