MX23RW : Monday, November 25 19:18:59| >> :120:34496:34496:
[monks data]
Norwich logo
Premier League
Dec 28, 2015 at 3pm UK
 
Aston Villa logo

2-0

Howson (24'), Mbokani (87')
FT(HT: 1-0)

Alex Neil: 'Aston Villa showdown is must-win game'

Norwich City manager Alex Neil admits that the relegation battle with Aston Villa at Carrow Road is a "must-win" match for his side.

Norwich City manager Alex Neil has admitted that Monday's meeting with relegation rivals Aston Villa is a "must-win" clash for his side.

The Canaries currently sit just outside the bottom three on goal difference alone following their 3-0 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur on Boxing Day, while Villa are nine points further behind at the foot of the table.

Neil did stress that nothing would be decided on Monday, but suggested that victory or defeat could set the tone one way or another for the second half of the season.

"There are games in and about you that you've got to win, so I would probably call it a must-win, even though I don't think anything's going to be determined by this particular game," Neil told reporters.

"However, three points against them certainly makes things a lot better. It's a snowball effect between now and the end of the season. Every game becomes bigger if you don't win games.

"It will be interesting to see how we respond but other teams will have to do it as well, it's not as if it's just us. It's not as if they're called upon to do it all the time, it's a one-off and we need to get ourselves ready because it's an important game for us."

The Canaries have won just one of their last six Premier League matches.

ID:262999: cacheID:262999:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2295:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Alex Neil barks from the sidelines during the game between Spurs and Norwich on December 26, 2015
Read Next:
Alex Neil: 'Tottenham deserved to win'
>
Read more about Alex Neil Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Leeds UnitedLeeds1695228121632
2Sunderland1695226121432
3Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd1610422191232
4Burnley168621961330
5Middlesbrough1683529191027
6West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom166821811726
7Watford168262524126
8Millwall166641914524
9Blackburn RoversBlackburn156451917222
10Bristol City165742020022
11Derby CountyDerby165562020020
12Stoke CityStoke165561920-120
13Norwich CityNorwich164752524119
14Swansea CitySwansea165471414019
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


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!