Aiming to snap a dismal three-game winless run, Norwich City begin their quest for FA Cup glory at home to Bristol Rovers in the third round on Saturday afternoon.
The Canaries' opening game of 2024 ended in a 1-1 draw with Southampton on New Year's Day, while their League One opponents were bested 3-2 away from home by Wycombe Wanderers.
Match preview
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After spreading plenty of festive cheer around Carrow Road with a five-game unbeaten run at the start of December, Norwich's festive celebrations have died down owing to a three-match streak without victory, having suffered successive 1-0 losses away to West Bromwich Albion and Millwall in their final two games of 2024.
The Canaries were also heading for defeat against promotion-chasing Southampton on January 1, where Adam Armstrong netted the opening goal for the Saints 20 minutes from time, but substitute Joshua Sargent responded just eight moments later to ensure a respectable point for Norwich.
While David Wagner's team may be firmly entrenched in mid-table - lying 13th in the division at the time of writing - only a five-point gap separates Norwich from the playoff positions, such is the extremely congested nature of the Championship standings.
For now, though, Norwich will simply endeavour to avoid back-to-back third round exits from the FA Cup - a tournament which they have never won or even made the final in - as they slumped to a 1-0 loss to Blackburn Rovers at this stage in the 2022-23 campaign.
A five-game unbeaten run at Carrow Road stands Norwich in very good stead indeed, though, and Wagner's men have shipped just two goals across those 450 minutes of football - hardly a reassuring statistic for a leaky Bristol Rovers unit.
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Also languishing in the obscurity of mid-table in League Two, the Pirates have displayed quite the affinity for goalscoring in their FA Cup exploits up to this point, netting an astounding 11 goals in their opening two showdowns with Whitby Town and Crewe Alexandra.
After a 7-2 obliteration of Whitby in the opening phase, Bristol Rovers conceded another pair of efforts to Crewe in the second round but successfully fought fire with even more fire in a 4-2 victory, thus advancing to the third round for the fourth time in five seasons.
However, the Gas have lost each of their last five FA Cup matches at this point of the tournament - failing to go beyond round three since reaching the 2007-08 quarter-finals - and they kicked off 2024 on the wrong note with a narrow beating at the hands of Wycombe on Monday night.
Even with their hosts down to 10 men, Bristol Rovers could only make the net ripple twice in added time through Chris Martin - whose efforts were too little too late - and that 3-2 loss marked the 10th game in a row where Matt Taylor's side have both scored and conceded.
The Pirates' defensive concerns are particularly apparent on the road, where they have shipped at least two goals in five of their last six games, and they head to Carrow Road on a four-match losing streak against Norwich, who ran out 3-0 winners in their most recent showdown, a League One clash in May 2010.
Team News
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Norwich came out of their recent stalemate with Southampton with no fresh knocks to report, leaving Jacob Sorensen (groin) and Dimitris Giannoulis (unspecified) as the only two occupants of the Carrow Road infirmary, although Wagner has confirmed that both could be in contention to play this weekend.
The Canaries have also been unaffected by the impending Africa Cup of Nations and Asian Cup call-ups, as South Korea international Hwang Ui-jo is not being considered for selection by his national team due to allegations that he filmed an ex-partner in a sexual setting without their consent.
Hwang - who is on loan from Nottingham Forest - vehemently denies the allegations and is still part of Wagner's plans, completing 66 minutes of the clash with the Saints before being taken off for goalscorer Sargent.
Meanwhile, Bristol Rovers boss Taylor saw no more players enter the medical bay during the loss to Wycombe, but experienced defender James Wilson is expected to spend a number of months out with a calf injury, while Lamare Bogarde has been recalled by Aston Villa.
With Wilson sidelined for the long-term, the Pirates have recalled James Connolly from Morecambe to bolster their defensive line, although having already represented the Shrimps in the FA Cup this term, he is cup-tied for Saturday's clash.
Fresh from his inconsequential brace at the weekend, ex-Norwich striker Martin reunites with the club whom he scored 34 goals in 117 games for, including the opener in the Canaries' aforementioned three-goal beating of Bristol Rovers 13 years ago.
Norwich City possible starting lineup:
Long; Stacey, Batth, Gibson, McCallum; Gibbs, Sara, Nunez; Rowe, Sargent, Hernandez
Bristol Rovers possible starting lineup:
Cox; Grant, Crama, Taylor; Thomas, Finley, Evans, Woods, Vale; Marquis, Martins
We say: Norwich City 3-1 Bristol Rovers
As efficient as Bristol Rovers have been in the attacking third during the winter period, their defensive deficiencies continue to bedevil them and ought to be exposed by a Norwich crop aiming to right a few wrongs this weekend.
Wagner should not be averse to making a few alterations to his pack, who will likely be faced with a three-man Pirates wall, but we still expect the Canaries to prevail with ease.
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Top tip
Ben Knapton
