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Norwich logo
Championship
Aug 30, 2014 at 3pm UK
 
Bournemouth logo

1-1

Grabban (15')
FT(HT: 1-1)
Wilson (45')

Preview: Norwich City vs. Bournemouth

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Championship match between in-form Norwich and Bournemouth at Carrow Road.

Norwich City will be looking to continue their fine recent form when they host Bournemouth at Carrow Road this Saturday.

It will be the first league meeting between the two sides since 1960, when Bournemouth & Boscombe, as they were then known, held the Canaries to a goalless draw in the Third Division.

Plenty has changed since that day, and it is in the heady heights of the Championship that they will meet this weekend following Norwich's relegation last season.

Neil Adams's side are looking likely to make a strong push for an immediate return to the top flight, however, having overcome a disappointing defeat on the opening day to win their last four matches in all competitions.

Comfortable victories over Watford and Blackburn Rovers will have pleased Adams, who had not tasted success as Norwich boss until this season, but it is their last league outing that he will have really enjoyed.

The Canaries edged past Ipswich Town 1-0 in the first East Anglian derby for three years, with Lewis Grabban getting the only goal of the game to make it four in four since his summer move.

His transfer to Carrow Road followed two successful seasons with Bournemouth, but he will be looking to hurt his former employers this weekend.

Another victory would make it five in a row for Norwich in all competitions following their League Cup success against Crawley Town on Tuesday, and that could also be enough to send them to the top of the early Championship table.

The Canaries have already netted nine times at home this season, but Adams does have a number of injury concerns to deal with in the build-up to Saturday.

Gary Hooper, Jonny Howson, Ryan Bennett and Mark Bunn will all miss this weekend's match, while Martin Olsson is back from a suspension but will play no part due to a family bereavement.

While Norwich have grown into the season after a disappointing start, Bournemouth have faded away slightly having topped the table after their first two games.

Things began brightly with a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Huddersfield Town, and they successfully followed that performance up with three points against Brentford.

However, back-to-back defeats against Nottingham Forest and Blackburn Rovers respectively have halted the Cherries' momentum somewhat.

Eddie Howe's side did almost recover from conceding three goals in the space of just over 10 minutes against Blackburn, though, showing good character to pull two goals back.

They will also be pleased with their midweek performance as they comfortably dispatched of Northampton Town in the second round of the League Cup.

Carlton Cole could be close to a move to the club if reports are to be believed, but it is their former striker Grabban that they will need to keep quiet if they are to get a result on Saturday.

Grabban's replacement Callum Wilson has got off to a good start himself, though, netting three goals in four games, and he is again expected to lead the line alongside Yann Kermorgant.

There will be no Carrow Road return for Elliott Ward, however, as the former Norwich defender has been ruled out for two months.

Recent form

Norwich: LWWWW

Bournemouth: WWWLLW

Possible starting lineups

Norwich: Ruddy; Whittaker, Martin, Turner, Garrido; Johnson, Tettey; Redmond, Hoolahan, Lafferty; Grabban

Bournemouth: Camp; Smith, Elphick, Cook, Daniels; Ritchie, O'Kane, Arter, Stanislas; Kermorgant, Wilson

Sports Mole says: 2-1


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