AFCB need to find something extra to beat Norwich

Last season Bournemouth didn't find playing Norwich City at all easy with a blank score sheet in both games only earning one draw and a defeat. Scoring against Norwich has been a problem and this August the Canaries have signed a new defender Xavi Quintilla from Villarreal. They have conceded two goals in their two Championship games, but Bournemouth will need to be at their best against the second favorites,  behind Brentford, to lift the Championship title this season.

AFCB will try for the third time to score against
Norwich City having failed in the last two meetings

Norwich have lost Jamal Lewis to Newcastle United but have not been as deeply scarred from their Premier League exit as Bournemouth. Daniel Farke remains in the managerial hot-seat and will be seeking an immediate return to the top flight. This game is likely to be a good indicator of whether Bournemouth or Norwich are better suited to earn that quick return to the top flight.

Advertisement

Ebook version of The Disrupted season £9.99

For this match, Norwich has declared Emi Buendia and Marco Stiepermann available for selection, but Kieran Dowell and Jacob Sorensen are expected to miss out due to injuries. Norwich's big goal threats will no doubt come from Todd Cantwell and Teemu Pukki, the latter of which scored against Preston North End in Norwich's last league match.

Advertisement

Coastal Garden Buildings

Bournemouth's difficulty has been in keeping clean sheets, and with Lloyd Kelly a doubt, they may have to reshuffle their backline. It should be a tightly contested game but Bournemouth needs to find something up front to get past Norwich and may well need a couple of goals with Bournemouth's leaky defence. Solanke has been rested in midweek for this game, but Sam Surridge is also in good form. I'd like to see both strikers get on at some point, but with Danjuma also rested and available and perhaps Josh King ready to return, there are options for Tindall.

Advertisement

Eddie Had a Dream eBook version -£7.99!

The advantage is with Bournemouth for this home game, despite having had a busy week. These are the games they will need to shade if they want to keep gaming the front-runners for the promotion places.

Norwich Away Form
LLLLW

AFCB Home Form
LDWLW

Possible AFCB line up

AFCB Subs: Travers, Stacey, Zemura, Gosling, Billing, King, Surridge

Rival Lines: "Daniel Farke can do no wrong," says City of Yellows

Rival Lines

Match Preview: Norwich City v AFCB

Blogger Interview: City of Yellows 

Twitter: @Cityofyellows

I had a moment to ask some questions this week of Richard Voisey who runs the City of Yellows blog for Norwich City. Norwich City fans haven't had much to get excited about apart form a home win over Man City but they'll know that Bournemouth are in wretched form and they they have a real possibility of three points that could just give them a last shot at trying to stay up.

CC: As an on looker, it seems that Norwich have some great players but are perhaps just short of one or two top players in defence to make a better fist of the Premier League. But are there bigger problems elsewhere?

Advertisement

Eddie Had a Dream is on sale now!

COY: It’s interesting that all season long so many Norwich City players have been rumoured with moves to bigger clubs.

Rather than having any stars or big-time Charlies, Farke created a team that won the Championship. With a low wage bill individually and collectively there is no reason why players should stay.

The squad is made up of youngsters and third division Germans so struggling was pretty much on the cards. We should never have started the season without an additional centre back as three all had long term injuries with Klose, our most experienced lad still yet to be seen.

Advertisement

 

CC: What do you like about Daniel Farke as the manager?

COY: Through my eyes, Daniel Farke can do no wrong. He is a genuine gentleman and I am proud to call him our manager. He has overperformed to get us in the Premier League and had a thankless task to keep us here.

Advertisement

Coastal Garden Buildings

CC: Which result has been the most disappointing for you this season?

COY: Ipswich beating Accrington Stanley last weekend and halting a fifteen game run without a win. I dread the idea of playing them again next season.

I loathe everything about Manchester United and their plastic fans so it was a double blow last weekend. Only one shot in the first half produced a feeble performance against them. That makes it one win in 17 league attempts.

CC: You have a new signing, Ondre Duja, a Slovakian midfielder on loan, who Farke says might help with some goals and assists. Is it good to get some new players in now?

COY: Most fans including me are surprised with two midfield additions. Farke has up to now always eased new lads the first 11 after a number of weeks at the club. It will be interesting to see if this approach changes due to the current dilemma we find ourselves in. Having said that new faces are vital to freshen up the camp. Why no new defender though?

CC: Have you been surprised at how well Todd Cantwell has played in the Premier League and do you think you'll keep hold of him?

COY: Todd Cantwell was not a first pick throughout last season and required a couple of breaks to refocus. He has chipped in with more goals than expected and linked well with Pukki.

Having said that, he is not the finished article. He has lapses, leaves his full-back exposed on regular occasions when playing wide. He gets knocked off the ball easily and doesn’t get close enough to attackers on the edge of the box thus failing to cut out crosses.

It’s great he is a local lad but I’m not fussed if any player leaves if they don’t want to be at Carrow Road.

CC: Do you think the Bournemouth game is Norwich's last chance to have a real say in whether they can stay up?

COY: Last week was probably the final nail. The form change required to stay up would be incredible rather than possible. If we do win, it would resurrect some hope.

Advertisement

CC: For Bournemouth fans who haven't visited Carrow Road before - how would you describe it?

COY: A traditional yet modern and very tidy yellow and green decked stadium with three decent stands and one, the small Geoffrey Watling stand that is earmarked for development to take the capacity from 27,000 to 30,000 plus. The away fans are housed in the 12,000 South Stand.

There are two-tiered stands behind each goal. The vocal Barclay will produce excellent flag waving before the start and rendition of ‘On the ball City’ the oldest football song in the world!

A full house is expected this weekend as it has been for years, even for our season in League One. Fifteen minutes from Norwich city centre and it’s an impressive range of historic pubs, its Norman Castle and two Cathedrals. A truly fantastic City.

CC: Would you be more concerned if Bournemouth changed manager before the game?

COY:  Most clubs benefit from the honeymoon period of a new manager. Watford are a prime example. From what I understand, like City, the Cherries has horrible injury issues.

CC: Which Bournemouth player do you worry about most for this game?

COY: Harry Wilson is class and especially from set-pieces which Norwich has suffered from due to awful zonal marking on a regular basis.

CC: How do you feel the side has been playing at home of late?

COY:  If matches lasted just 45 minutes City would be way up the table. 22 home points would have been accumulated. If we concede first, we will lose.

Advertisement

CC: Have you any injured players for this game?

COY: Grant Hanley limped off and has a cold but should be ok. The other centre back Ben Godfrey is training again after a long break but will not be ready. Timm Klose might be back before the end of the season. Teemu Pukki has a hamstring and damaged toe but should be back in contention.

CC: How do you expect to set up for the game?

COY: The same set up as for every game this season and set up to win the game. One upfront with a number 10. Two wide midfielders and two defensive midfielders. Two centre backs with two attacking wingbacks.

Advertisement

Eddie Had a Dream eBook version -available now!

CC: We are on a terrible run, so what is your score prediction?

COY: 1-1 which will be unhelpful for both of us.

CC: And who do you think will end up in the bottom three?

COY: Norwich City, Villa and Bournemouth.

CC: Many thanks to Richard of City of Yellows for writing his answers for this post. It's good to see the dislike of Ipswich Town shows no signs of let up. Neither of these teams wanted to be in their situation at this time of the year but for one of them there could be a last reprieve if they could get three points from this match. There isn't much time left for Norwich to get out of trouble and Bournemouth are going to lose touch with safety if they don't get the win. This game is now the biggest of the season for both teams and I imagine the hopes of our teams survival or not will be made a little clearer after this result.

Do check the recent posts of City of Yellows.

Norwich could take Bournemouth down with them

This weekend's game is another massive game in the season for AFC Bournemouth and Norwich City. It's not inconceivable that this could be a Championship fixture next season. Norwich may be cut adrift on 14 points but if they win this game that will put them just three points below Bournemouth and could effectively do much to scupper Bournemouth's chance of beating the drop.

A draw last time we played Norwich City - AFCB need to improve on that.

Advertisement

A draw wouldn't do either side much good either. Eddie Howe will be setting up the Cherries to do all they can to win this game and I have no doubt that Daniel Farke will do the same for Norwich. While Norwich are at the foot of the table they have drawn their last two home matches against good opposition in Crystal Palace and Tottenham. They haven't had the crisis of goal scoring a badly as AFCB either having only failed in two of their last 11 matches.

Advertisement

Coastal Garden Buildings

Norwich's problem is that while they have been in games they have always just come out the wrong side of results. their last defeat against Man United was unusual to see a 4-0 defeat. It's been much closer than that in most of Norwich's games and they have the ability to counter-attack with great speed. Todd Cantwell and Teemu Pukki are their star performers, but there is a good team spirit that has not been depleted despite the fact that they are propping up the table.

Advertisement

Coastal Garden Buildings

Norwich City are certainly good enough to beat Bournemouth. It is probably their last chance to really stake a claim to hang in the league and start to close the gap but if they manage that they will severely damage Bournemouth's chances of escaping as well. Norwich are a decent side at home and Bournemouth need to be very aware that this is probably their last chance to give themselves a foot up out of the bottom three.

Advertisement

Norwich City Home Form
DLLDD

AFCB Away Form
LLWLL

Cherry Chimes' previous post - Do Bournemouth's hopes rest on a fit Josh King?

Which Norwich City will turn up at Dean Court?

I was one of the few bloggers who looked at Norwich City at the start if the season and thought, they could stay up and surprise a few teams. My views was in part shaped by what a close game the Canaries gave AFCB's players in the Carabao Cup last season. But what I didn't expect was them to be good enough to beat Man City at home.

Norwich fans visit Dean Court today, but will they have their feathers clipped?

The matches have not been all as well celebrated as Norwich's win against the defending Champions. Last time out they were battered 1-5 at home by Aston Villa. The Canaries only other League win came at home against Newcastle United. So on the road it has been a bit of a slippery slope, with no wins and a hefty 4-1 defeat against Liverpool on the first night of the season as well as defeats to Crystal Palace, Burnley and West Ham United.

Advertisement

                          

                          

Still, everyone has noticed that Norwich are scoring goals and most of them are coming from their Finnish striker Teemu Pukki, who has six goals from his eight appearances. He's been well supported by Todd Cantwell who has two goals from midfield.

Like Bournemouth, though, Norwich have struggled to keep a clean sheet. They have also lost Tim Krul for two games with a back problem, although he could be back for the Bournemouth match. A bigger miss is probably Christoph Zimmierman who was the star performer at centre-back for Norwich City last season. Grant Hanley another centre-back is also injured. So you can see that Daniel Farke has had to make a few changes.

Advertisement

Coastal Garden Buildings

Advertisement

Eddie Had a Dream 
eBook version -available now!

All of this is perhaps good news for Bournemouth fans to hear, but Norwich City are in the bottom three and they know they'll need points to get out of there, and that they can't expect to survive on home form alone.

Norwich City last time out below. Expect a few changes as they have several players coming back.

33 McGovern, 

2 Aarons, 24 Amadou, 4 Godfrey, 12 Lewis

10 Leitner, 23 McLean, 17 Buendía, 18 Stiepermann

14 Cantwell, 22 Pukki

AFCB Home Form

DLWD

Norwich Away Form

LLLL

Look out for my answers to some Norwich City blogger questions at Norwich City My Football Writer.

An unchanged team for me for AFCB

Subs: Boruc, Francis, L Cook, Surman, Ibe, Fraser, Danjuma

Norwich City Press conference


AFCB TV preview