Text here to move the logo across. please log in to view this image Vs please log in to view this image Hello and welcome to the official Not606 match thread for Saturday’s Barclays Premier League encounter between Norwich City & Liverpool. The game is scheduled to be played at Carrow Road on Saturday the 28th of April at 5.30PM. The game is to be shown on ESPN (Build-up begins at 4.30PM) and talkSPORT will have the radio rights to Saturday’s game. (Build-up begins at around 5PM) Preview. Liverpool travel to Carrow Road this weekend in what still is an important game for both sides. Liverpool are in poor form in the league and face a battle to overhaul Merseyside rivals Everton into 7th place in the Barclays Premier League table. Norwich City currently sit in 13th position in the table and have ensured safety. However, after two disappointing results of late against Manchester City and Blackburn Rovers, Canaries manager Paul Lambert will be looking for a response and strong end to the season. The home side, Norwich City, have enjoyed an excellent season. After taking the Canaries up front from the Championship last season, they have produced some excellent performances and Lambert and his side have won many plaudits from observers. Having recruited from the lower leagues of English football, some people thought that Norwich might struggle with not enough proven Premier League quality in the team. And they were quite wrong! Players like Grant Holt has been excellent this season and has handled the set-up from the Championship to the Premier League with ease. Having already bagged 13 goals so far this season, he is currently the second top scorer from England behind Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney. He has been a constant thorn in many a side this season and Liverpool already known about Holt with the striker having got the goal that got Norwich a point in the reserve fixture at Anfield in October. He will be expected to lead the line for the Canaries and the Liverpool defence will need to keep Holt quiet if they are to improve their chances of keeping a clean sheet. Other players brought in from the Championship & League One have proven themselves to be quality additions for Paul Lambert’s side. Anthony Pilkington, brought in from Huddersfield Town, has 8 goals from the wing and if he can get some quality balls into the box for the likes of Holt & Morison to get onto to, they could get some joy. The away side, Liverpool, have had a mixed season. Success in the cups have meant Liverpool picked up their first trophy in six years when the Carling Cup was brought back to Liverpool and we are in the F.A Cup final and have a chance to pick up another trophy! However, tomorrow’s game against Norwich is in the league and Liverpool simply haven’t been good enough in the league this season. Currently sitting 8th in the league, 2 points behind Merseyside rivals Everton and just 2 points off being in the bottom half of the league, it simply hasn’t been good enough. It’s been a tale of creating chances, the strikers not being able to finish their dinner let alone a decent chance and then the opposition going up the other end and winning the game. This has been the big problem for the Liverpool team this season. Failure to turn domination into points. This was the case in the reserve fixture. Liverpool created many chances that day, hit the post and the crossbar but Norwich withstood the pressure and got themselves a point. Liverpool striker Luis Suarez will be the main threat to the Norwich backline. The Uruguayan has 14 goals in all competitions this season and is Liverpool’s top scorer so far this season. With the ability to produce something out of nothing, a slightly depleted Norwich defence will have to be fully aware of the striker. Craig Bellamy will also be a key threat. Having started out his professional career at Norwich City, the Norwich faithful will be aware of the talent Bellamy has in his locker and if afforded a start in the Liverpool 11, he has the skill to set up or get goals for this Liverpool side. A win for Norwich on Saturday will move Norwich level on points with Liverpool. Back on the 13th of August 2011, who would have thought this would have been possible? It highlights what an excellent job Paul Lambert has done at Norwich but also highlights the massive disappointment in the league for Kenny Dalglish and his side. Can Norwich move level on points with Liverpool? Or can Liverpool finally find some form with the F.A Cup final moving ever closer? Injury News. Norwich City. Zak Whitbread: Calf Muscle Strain. Daniel Ayala: Knee Injury. Marc Tierney: Groin/Pelvis Injury. Liverpool. Charlie Adam: Knee Injury. Lucas Leiva: ACL Knee Injury. Injury news taken from http://www.physioroom.com/news/english_premier_league/epl_injury_table.php. Please inform me, via a post in this thread, if any of the information is incorrect. Norwich City 0 - 3 Liverpool Goalscorers: Liverpool... Luis Suarez: 24th minute. Liverpool... Luis Suarez: 28th minute. Liverpool... Luis Suarez: 82nd minute. Norwich City: Ruddy - Naughton Ryan Bennett Ward Martin - Elliott Bennett Howson Johnson Pilkington - Vaughan Holt SUBS: Steer Drury Surman Fox Hoolahan Wilbraham Morison Adam Drury off and Russel Martin is on: 12th minute. David Fox off and James Vaughan is on: 45th minute. Steve Morison off and Grant Holt is on: 76th minute. Liverpool: Reina - Johnson Carragher Coates Agger Enrique - Henderson Shelvey Downing - Bellamy Kuyt SUBS: Doni Kelly Skrtel Spearing Gerrard Maxi Suarez Steven Gerrard off and Sebasitian Coates is on: 85th minute. Luis Suarez off and Dirk Kuyt is on: 85th minute. YNWA.
Not an easy call this one. Outsiders might expect a routine victory for the reds, but with recent form failing them a little and Norwich's decent results this season it is to be closer than that. On the other hand, since our victory away at Spurs and reaching the (almost certainly safe) total of 43 points we seem to have lost a certain edge from our game. This one could easily turn into an end of season run-out for both sides. I think though (and hope) that the fact that Liverpool are one of the big boys spurs Norwich on to put in the kind of performance they are capable of. I also hope that this in turn gives Liverpool the desire to play and that a good game results. I suspect that Liverpool will score (we tend to concentrate more on scoring than defending) but We always have goals in us. Will be interesting to see Carroll and Holt on the same pitch as they have both been discussed in terms on the summer England Squad. Good luck to you guys, for those of you coming to Norwich, I hope you enjoy a great day out but not the result. Cheers. OTBC
1-1 draw. By the way, how is Zak Whitbread getting on and does anyone know which nation he has declared to be his, US or England?
A selection of stats ahead of our trip to Carrow Road. Source: http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/33-match-facts-from-lfc-s-statto
Based on yet another dire finishing performance against WBA, i can see us drawing 1-1 here. And Kenny will use the "bad luck" and "Great goalkeeping" excuses rather than admitting we have piss poor finishers and need a new striker badly. One can only dream.
Seriously hope that Sterling is at least on the bench for this game. I don't see what we've got to lose having him on the bench or even playing him.
This is the last game in which our players can really make a statement that they should be included in the Cup Final side (the Fulham game will be more about not getting injured). Hence my prediction.
7-1 to Norwich with us hitting the woodwork 18 times and missing 6 pens oh and our goal will be an og
I hope some of the Norwich lads join us in here tomorrow, their was some good banter in the reverse fixture with them in the match thread and I hope that's repeated
As I have done with every thread since the cross-board feature went, i've gone onto the Norwich board and created a thread inviting them over to this thread for a bit of match chat/banter etc. As you can see, we've already had one or two pop over and as the match get closer, we should get a few more Canaries popping across!
