Nitro News

Lyon return to Ligue 1 action against Dijon

Lyon vs Dijon FCO Preview 28/08/2020
27 August 2020 | Ligue 1 | Preview

Following a run to the semi-finals of the Champions League, Lyon open their 2020/21 Ligue 1 account on Friday night, with Dijon visiting Groupama Stadium.

When the 2019/20 campaign was suspended, Lyon finished seventh, level with Montpellier and Monaco on 1.43 points per game.

This was Lyon’s lowest league finish since 1995/95, but Rudi Garcia’s side reacted well after the unexpected lay-off.

Lyon returned to action with a Coupe de la Ligue final defeat to PSG. However, Garcia’s men pushed the Parisians all the way to penalties.

Lyon then lost to Juventus 2-1, although they progressed to the quarter-finals of the Champions League on away goals, following a 1-0 win in Turin back in February

Remarkably, Lyon then stunned tournament-favourites Manchester City 3-1 to advance to the semi-finals, before losing to eventual-champions Bayern Munich 3-0.

Meanwhile, Dijon finished sixteenth last term, ending the campaign on 1.07 points per game – relegated Amiens finished with 0.82 points per game.

The Owls played four friendly game during the off-season, although they only managed one win during that period.

After beating Paris FC at the end of July, Dijon drew with Sochaux, before losing to Metz and Lens at the beginning of August.

In Dijon’s first Ligue 1 game of the new campaign, Angers claimed a 1-0 victory, despite Dijon enjoying the lion’s share of possession and racking up nine shots.

Head-to-head: Believe it or not, Dijon remained unbeaten against Lyon last term, claiming a 3-1 away win and a goalless draw.

However, Lyon were unbeaten in four meetings with Dijon prior to last season, with Garcia’s men claiming three wins and a draw while scoring over 2.5 goals on every occasion.

Team news: Both teams are injury-free at the moment, so both managers have a fully-fir squad to choose from.

It’s worth pointing out that Dijon have only won one of their previous 14 Ligue 1 away games, and they haven't’ score in seven of their last ten on their travels.

However, it’s important to remember that ten of Lyon’s previous 12 home games in Ligue 1 have produced under 2.5 goals.

These statistics suggest that Lyon should win, although it isn’t likely to be a high-scoring victory. This game is likely to be decided by a single goal

Can underdogs Lyon shock rampant Bayern Munich?

Lyon vs Bayern München Preview 19/08/2020
18 August 2020 | Champions League | Preview

Bayern Munich come into Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final as firm favourites after destroying Barcelona 8-2 in the quarter-finals.

Seven different players got on the scoresheet as the German side tore apart Lionel Messi and co, while Philippe Coutinho came off the bench to net two and assist another against his parent club.

Overall, it’s been another hugely successful season for Die Roten. Hansi Flick’s side finished 13 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga, scoring 100 goals on their way to an eighth successive top-flight title.

is 🔛🔥 pic.twitter.com/irOzE8KhCI
— FC Bayern München () August 14, 2020

The German giants have also been ruthless in the Champions League this term. Bayern finished the group stage with a 100% record, netting 25 goals and conceding just five to finish eight points clear at the top of Group B.

Flick’s men then saw off Chelsea in the Round of 16 with an aggregate scoreline of 7-1 before humiliating Barcelona in the previous round.

Meanwhile, Lyon stunned everybody by seeing off tournament-favourites Manchester City in the quarter-finals at the weekend.

Kevin De Bruyne cancelled out Maxwel Cornet first-half goal midway through the second half, but a late brace from substitute Moussa Dembele saw the French side progress.

Rudi Garcia’s men only won two of their group games and scarped through to the Champions League knockout stages by finishing just one point ahead of Benfica and Zenit in Group G.

However, Lyon rose to the occasion against Juventus in the Round of 16 and edge the Italian powerhouse on away goals.

Head-to-head: Lyon and Bayern Munich last met at this stage of the tournament back in 2009/10, with Bayern winning 4-0 on aggregate on that occasion.

Bayern also went unbeaten in their only other two meetings with Lyon, drawing 1-1 before winning 3-2 in the 2008/09 group stages.

Team news: Lyon have no fresh injury’s heading into the semi-finals. Dembele will surely be in contention to start following his brace last time out.

As for Bayern Munich, right-back Benjamin Pavard remains out with a ligament issue, but Flick has a full-strength squad to choose from other than that.

It is worth pointing out that both teams have scored in 13 of Lyon’s previous 17 Champions League outings. That trend is expected to continue on Wednesday.

Sure, Bayern are the favourites to win this game. But due to the high-pressure circumstances, it could be difficult for the German side to get into their grove.

Barcelona and Bayern Munich set for titanic Champions League quarterfinal tie

FC Barcelona vs Bayern München Preview 14/08/2020
13 August 2020 | Champions League | Preview
arcelona and Bayern Munich will meet on Friday night in the most exciting Champions League quarterfinal tie of the round.

The clubs will meet with a ticket to the semifinals on the line to face either Manchester City or Lyon. Barcelona and Bayern Munich are on the more difficult side of the Champions League bracket, and only one of the clubs can go through.

Barcelona may have the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in the team, but leading sportsbooks have them listed as the fourth favourite to lift the Champions League trophy. Bayern Munich, on the other hand, are currently second in favourites odds.

The Germans came through the quarterfinals in impressive fashion eliminating Chelsea 7-1 on aggregate. Coach Hansi Flick has Bayern Munich playing their best football of the season.

The team could get a significant boast for Friday night’s quarterfinal. Winger Kingsley Coman and centre-back Jerome Boateng took part in Bayern Munich’s first training session in Portugal. The duo must still take fitness tests but are in line to make the team currently.

In the buildup to Barcelona’s Champion League round of 16 second leg win over Napoli, the talk was about the club’s internal struggles and chaos. The Blaugrana overcome any issues on the pitch in the second leg, however, to claim a 3-1 win.

Manager Quique Setien has a few injury issues heading into the one-off quarterfinal. Ousmane Dembele is still suffering from a long-term hamstring problem while centre-back Samuel Umtiti is a major doubt due to a knee problem.

Setien will have midfielders Sergio Busquets and Arturo Vidal back from suspension after they missed the second leg versus Napoli.

The big injury news heading into the quarterfinal showdown surrounds Messi. He suffered a leg injury versus Napoli after sustaining a knock just above the ankle. Barcelona have talked down the severity of the injury and Messi is expected to play.

In spite of the club being positive, reports have emerged that Messi could be a doubt for the game. Other news has leaked that the Argentine missed a Barcelona training session this week due to the injury.

Messi has carried the Blaugrana through the season and without him, Barcelona could struggle in the attacking third. The last two seasons, even with Messi on the pitch, Barcelona capitulated in the Champions League knockout stage versus Roma and Liverpool, respectively.

Barcelona have not played a team with an attack like Bayern Munich’s this season. Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry could bully the Barcelona backline. If Messi plays, however, Barcelona will keep the game close.

Manchester City Favourites to Beat Lyon

Manchester City vs Lyon Preview 15/08/2020
12 August 2020 | Champions League | Preview

We have reached the quarter-final stage of the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League. The final match to be played, which will take place on the 15th of August, is between Manchester City and Lyon. The game will take place at a neutral venue, the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon and will contested over one match rather than two legs.

Manchester City come into the match having seen off the challenge of Real Madrid in the Round of 16. The Citizens picked up an excellent 2-1 victory at the Santiago Beranbeu in the first leg of the tie and finish the job by beating the Spanish champions by the same scoreline at home.

Pep Guardiola will be extremely disappointed to have lost the Premier League title this season and to have tasted defeat in the FA Cup final against Arsenal. However, their Champions League record this season has been excellent and Manchester City are undefeated in their last 9 Champions League matches. In fact, they have lost only one of their 17 most recent games in the competition.

Manchester City have had little trouble in scoring goals in the Champions League this season and trends show they have managed to find the back of the net at least twice in each of their last 3 matches in the competition. Manchester City have scored 2 or more goals in 7 of their last 9 Champions League games but have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 6.

Lyon caused a shock when they defeated Juventus in the Round of 16. The French club picked up a good 1-0 victory at home, keeping an important clean sheet. They then opened the scoring in the return leg in Turin and despite going on to concede 2 goals to lose the match, Lyon went through on the away goals rule.

With the Ligue 1 season ending early due to COVID-19, Lyon finished in a disappointing 7th place and will want to make up for that by doing well in the Champions League. However, they have won only one of their last 4 matches in the competition and that was the home victory against Juventus. Lyon know how to find the back of the net but have been struggling to keep the ball out of their own goal.

Trends show both teams have scored in 4 of their last 6 Champions League matches and Lyon have kept just one clean sheet in their last 6 games in the competition.

PSG Favourites to Beat Atalanta

Atalanta Bergamo vs Paris St. Germain Preview 12/08/2020
11 August 2020 | Champions League | Preview
We have reached the quarter final stage of the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League campaign. It has been a long road to get here but we have 8 teams remaining who are going to meet in one-off matches in Portugal to decide the Champions of Europe.

The first quarter final to be played is between Paris Saint-Germain and Atalanta. The match will be played behind closed doors at the Estádio da Luz, Lisbon.

Atalanta have exceeded all expectations this season both in the Italian Serie A and the Champions League. They finished third in Serie A, above the likes of Lazio, Roma, and AC Milan to secure Champions League football for next season.

Having been drawn in a Champions League group containing Manchester City, Shakhtar Donetsk and Dinamo Zagreb, it was not going to be an easy task to qualify for the knockout stages.

However, Atlanta finished second in the group but managed to win only 2 of their 6 games. Into the Round of 16 and Atalanta were paired with Valencia, a team who have great experience of playing in the Champions League. Atalanta enjoyed a fantastic 4-1 home victory in the first leg and won the second leg 4-3 in Spain to secure a tremendous 8-4 win on aggregate.

Trends show Atalanta are undefeated in their last 5 Champions League matches, winning 4 of those games. Both teams have scored in 5 of their 7 most recent games in the competition and Atalanta have scored 2 or more goals in each of their last 4 Champions League matches.

Paris Saint-Germain saw their domestic campaign brought to a halt due to COVID-19 and competitive game time has been limited for the French club since March. However, they have recently participated in two domestic cup finals and won both games.

PSG were drawn in Champions League Group A along with Real Madrid, Club Brugge and Galatasaray. There was never any doubt PSG were going to qualify from this group but they did so in style by beating Real Madrid at home and taking a point from the reverse fixture in Spain. Finishing top of the group meant PSG avoided a meeting with Manchester City in the Round of 16 and instead met Borussia Dortmund.

Despite losing the first leg 2-1 In Germany, PSG make no mistake at home, winning the second leg 2-0 to progress to this stage of the competition. PSG have been scoring plenty of goals in the Champions League this season and have netted 2 or more in 5 of their 8 matches.

Team news and Atalanta will be without first choice goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini meaning Marco Sportiello will start in goal. Josip Ilicic has been struggling for fitness but may make the bench.

PSG will be without Italian midfielder Marco Verratti who is injured plus the suspended Angel Di Maria. Thomas Meunier and Edinson Cavani have both left the club and Kylian Mbappe remains a doubt.

Manchester United meet FC Copenhagen in Europa League quarterfinal
Manchester United vs FC København Preview 10/08/2020
07 August 2020 | Europa League | Preview
1466
Manchester United meet FC Copenhagen in Europa League quarterfinal
MDI / Shutterstock.com


Manchester United are just three steps away from lifting a first trophy under manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The club dispatched LASK Linz in the last 16 of the tournament and now head to Germany for the quarterfinals of the competition to face Denmark’s FC Copenhagen.

Critics of Manchester United will scoff at the club’s last 16 and quarterfinal draws in the Europa League. While clubs such as Inter Milan and Bayer Leverkusen will meet as well as Wolverhampton Wanderers playing Sevilla, the Red Devils have arguably been handed the easiest opponent left in the tournament.

FC Copenhagen will still offer a fight to the Red Devils in what should be a cagey match up. The match will be played in Cologne on neutral turf and unlike in previous seasons, will be a one-off fixture.

Two-legged ties tend to favour the better team allowing them to overcome any mistakes from the first leg. Not so in a one-off playoff in which the teams must play well from kick off to progress.

While Manchester United thrashed LASK Linz 7-1 on aggregate, FC Copenhagen had to overturn a one-goal deficit in their second leg against Istanbul Basaksehir. The Danish team were dynamite on the night scoring three times thanks to two goals from Jonas Wind and one from Rasmus Falk.

FC Copenhagen could surprise the Red Devils in the quarterfinal, but there is a massive gulf in class between these teams. Manager Stale Solbakken will hope that Wind can once again take a knockout game by the scruff of the neck and power the Lions through.

Solbakken is likely to deploy 19-year-old Mikkel Kaufmann in attack. The teenager led the line versus Istanbul Basaksehir playing the opening 53 minutes. The youngster’s inclusion has much to do with FC Copenhagen being down to bare bones in the striker position.

The team’s lack of strikers should ultimately be their demise against a Manchester United team that plays strong defence. The Red Devils’ defence has kept 26 clean sheets this season and should throw another shutout against FC Copenhagen.

Injuries are not an issue for Solskjaer. His only absentees are long-term omissions Luke Shaw, Axel Tuanzebe and Phil Jones. Otherwise, he has a full squad to select from for Monday night’s fixture.

The quarterfinal should be a close affair with both teams focused on keeping goals out. Both teams will be determined to prevent the other from scoring. That will lead to a low-scoring game with Manchester United edging their Danish opponents.

Expect under 2.5 goals with the Red Devils marching onto the semifinals.

Can Napoli eliminate Barcelona from the Champions League?
FC Barcelona vs SSC Napoli Preview 08/08/2020

07 August 2020 | Champions League | Preview

Saturday night’s Champions League last 16 second leg tie between Barcelona and Napoli is on a knife’s edge. Barcelona go into the game with an away goals advantage but due to internal conflict, could fail in the competition for the third straight season.

Last year’s semifinal capitulation will be fresh in the mind of fans and players. Yet, it was the second straight season in which Barcelona fell apart in the Champions League. In 2017-18, Barcelona took a 4-1 lead to Rome where they conceded three goals without reply against Roma.

The Blaugrana have one distinct advantage to the last two seasons in the Champions League and that is playing the second leg at home. They have the away goal advantage against a Napoli team that blew hot and cold during the season.

Gennaro Gattuso’s team won the Coppa Italia defeating Juventus on penalties but could only manage a seventh-place finish to the Serie A campaign. They will feel confident of winning away at Barcelona as an away goal throws the advantage their way.

Barcelona have personnel issues heading into the Saturday night fixture. It is believed manager Quique Setien will deploy his team in a 3-5-2 formation. It is a formation that Setien used when he took over the club but was dropped due to being ineffective.

Setien is expected to start Nelson Semedo, Clement Lenglet, and Gerard Pique in defence. Samuel Umtiti is injury and news broke this week that Barcelona want to sell the Frenchman due to his incredibly high wages. Barcelona lost €200 million during the coronavirus pandemic and desperately need funds.

Barcelona have even more worries on the pitch. Antoine Griezmann is not fully fit. Meanwhile, Sergio Busquets and Arturo Vidal are both suspended for the fixture.

Midfielder Arthur will not play for the Blaugrana after returning to Brazil and quitting the club. Barcelona are threatening to sue the player ahead of his transfer to Juventus.

Gattuso also has an injury problem after confirming winger Lorenzo Insigne “suffered tendon damage to the adductor longus muscle in his left thigh, in addition to bone bruising,” in Napoli’s final game of the domestic season. He is being monitored and could still make the team.

Napoli merely need an away goal to overturn the tie. They should get that goal but Barcelona should find the back of the net as well. The match should unfold in a similar fashion to the first leg. Barcelona and Napoli will need extra-time to sort out which side moves on to the quarterfinals.

Bayern Munich in control of Champions League tie with Chelsea
Bayern München vs Chelsea Preview 08/08/2020

07 August 2020 | Champions League | Preview

Chelsea must overturn a three-goal deficit in the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on Saturday.

Following a commanding display from the German side at Stamford Bridge back in February, Bayern already have one foot in the quarter-finals. But can Chelsea spark a miraculous turnaround?

The Blues managed to hold off Bayern in the first half of the first leg. But after the break, the floodgates opened. Serge Gnabry scored twice in three minutes before Robert Lewandowski completed the scoring.

It was a completely dominant performance from Hansi Flick’s side, who enjoyed 60% possession and registered 15 shots. And to make matter worse for Chelsea, Marcos Alonso was sent off late on.

Bayern cruised through the group stage, winning all six of their group games to finish eight points clear of second-place Tottenham Hotspur at the top of Group B.

Flick’s men scored 24 group-stage goals (at an average of four goals per game) and only conceded five along the way.

Bayern also finished their domestic campaign in frightening form, winning 19 of their final 20 league games to finish 13 points clear of Borussia Dortmund and claim an eighth straight Bundesliga title.

Lewandowski is arguably in the form of his life right now. The lethal Polish striker netted 34 goals in 31 Bundesliga appearances in 2019/20 and has scored 11 is six Champions League games so far.

On the other hand, Chelsea scraped through to the knockout stages after finishing second in Group H – one point ahead of third-place Ajax.

The Blues only managed to win half of their group games, although two hard-fought draws against Ajax and Valencia saw them advance.

Chelsea ended their domestic campaign in inconsistent form, winning six and drawing three of their nine games after the resumption.

However, Frank Lampard’s side still managed to secure a top-four finish and book their place in next season’s Champions League.

Head-to-head: Chelsea beat Bayern in the 2012 Champions League final. The game finished 1-1, but the English side eventually lifted the trophy following a penalty shootout.

Having said that, the German side completely outplayed Chelsea back in February. The manner with which Bayern dispatched the Blues in the first leg was hugely impressive.

Team news: Christian Pulisic will miss the second leg after picking up a hamstring injury in the FA Cup final, while Pedro, Cesar Azpilicueta, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Willian are all doubts for Chelsea.

Bayern are likely to be without Benjamin Pavard after the Frenchman sustained ligament damage, but Flick has a full squad to choose from apart from that.

Chelsea have no choice but to go for broke on Saturday. The Blues must score at least three just to force the tie to extra-time, but an attacking approach could leave the team exposed at the back.

Shakhtar With Upper Hand in Ukraine

05 Aug 2020 | Europa League | Preview

One of the four UEFA Europa League matches being played on Wednesday the 5th of August is between Shakhtar Donetsk and Wolfsburg. This is the second leg of their tie, with the first having been completed in Germany prior to the outbreak of COVID-19. The match will be played at the Oblasny SportKomplex Metalist, which is not the usual home of the club.

Who are the Favourites to Win the Champions League?

27 July 2020 | Champions League | Opinion

The 2019/20 UEFA Champions League resumes on the 7th of August and there have been some major changes to the format of the competition. Due to the outbreak of coronavirus, the Champions League was postponed and it will now conclude with a shortened tournament, starting with the remaining Round of 16 matches.

There are four games to be played in the Round of 16 stage. They are all second legs of two leg ties and will be played at the home teams venue as originally planned. However, there will be no fans in attendance at any of the four matches and that will apply for the remainder of the competition. Following the completion of the Round of 16, there will be four quarter-final games and they will be played in Portugal. These will be one off matches and the winners will progress to the semi-final, which will again be one off games.

We already know four of the teams competing in the quarter-final and they are Atalanta, Paris Saint-Germain, RB Leipzig, and Atletico Madrid. Of the remaining Round of 16 games, Bayern Munich are the clear favourites to progress but Barcelona, Juventus and Manchester City still have work to do. Juventus need to overturn a 1-0 away defeat at Lyon, Barcelona picked up a 1-1 draw in Naples while Manchester City hold a 2-1 lead from their first leg at Real Madrid in Spain.

The match between Manchester City and Real Madrid could be the pick of the remaining Round of 16 games. Despite having this potentially difficult game against the current Spanish champions, Manchester City remain the joint favourites with the bookmakers to win the Champions League this season. Pep Guardiola’s team ended their Premier League campaign strongly but did not win the title. Therefore, Manchester City will be determined to win the Champions League this season but face a difficult path to the final.

Having overcome Real Madrid, the likelihood is they are going to have to meet Italian champions Juventus in the quarter-final before playing either Barcelona or Bayern Munich. It is a tough ask especially as Bayern Munich, the current German champions have had an extended break following the completion of the Bundesliga and looked superb in winning the title.

Bayern Munich cruised past Chelsea in the away leg of their Round of 16 tie and should have little trouble seeing out the tie at home. That leaves them with a meeting in the quarter-final against Napoli or Barcelona and Bayern have looked much stronger than both of those teams since the resumption of football in Europe.

The other half of the draw features Paris Saint-Germain, who will see this as the perfect opportunity to reach the Champions League final. They will play Italian club Atalanta in the quarter-final and although the Italians have been performing well this season both domestically and in Europe, PSG start as the clear favourites. PSG have enjoyed an extended rest following the cancellation of Ligue 1 and will not be fazed by either Atletico Madrid or RB Leipzig in the semi-final.

There is a strong possibility we could see a Bayern Munich vs Paris Saint-Germain final this season and that would an exciting way to finish the campaign.

Manchester City to roll over Brighton

Brighton vs Manchester City Preview 11/07/2020

10 July 2020 | Premier League | Preview
72
Manchester City to roll over Brighton
MDI / Shutterstock.com


Manchester City head to the south coast after blasting Newcastle United in midweek at home 5-0. In spite of the big home win, Manchester City have struggled to get results on the road recently.

Pep Guardiola’s side have lost four of their last five away matches. That includes three consecutive losses to Manchester United, Chelsea, and Southampton. Last weekend’s loss to Southampton was a shock as the Saints won 1-0.

Although Manchester City have not been good on the road lately, they face a poor Brighton side at the Amex Stadium. Brighton have taken 21 points from 52 possible and are coming off of two heavy home losses.

Brighton conceded three goals to both Manchester United and Liverpool, and despite challenging the latter, came up well short. Graham Potter’s team have won just once in their last six home matches. They were outscored 10-5 during their last six home fixtures.

Since 2017 when Brighton were promoted to the Premier League, they have faced Manchester City six times in all competitions. The Cityzens have won all six fixtures claiming four wins to nil. Their match played earlier this season at the Etihad saw Manchester City win 4-0.

Guardiola has just one player set to miss the weekend fixture away from home. Striker Sergio Aguero underwent knee surgery during the league’s hiatus and is recouping from it. There is hope he could return in time to play the Champions League restart in August.

Other than Aguero, Guardiola has a full roster of players to choose from. However, Manchester City have sold Leroy Sane to Bayern Munich and the winger is gone to his new team already.

Potter doesn’t have any significant injuries at Brighton either. Long-term absentee Jose Izquierdo is out of action and Steve Alzate is also likely to miss the game.

Three of the last six games between the clubs in all competitions saw over 2.5 goals scored. That includes their last two Premier League games.

Manchester City won the Premier League title on the final day of the campaign last season at the Amex Stadium. This season’s trip south is much different and the Cityzens simply want to keep their momentum going for the FA semifinals and the Champions League restart.

The Cityzens should claim a win to nil against the Seagulls with over 2.5 goals being scored. This won’t be a close game as Brighton drop a third straight home match conceding three goals once more.

Norwich host West Ham for relegation six-pointer

Norwich City vs West Ham Preview 11/07/2020

10 July 2020 | Premier League | Preview

Premier League basement-boys Norwich City welcome fellow relegation-strugglers West Ham United to Carrow Road on Saturday afternoon.

Anything other than a win for Norwich would all but seal their fate, while West Ham can significantly boost their chances of survival by avoiding defeat.

The Canaries needed to hit the ground running when the campaign resumed. But unfortunately for them, that hasn’t happened.

Five straight defeats have left Norwich rock bottom of the Premier League table, and with just four games remaining, a swift return to the Championship is looking likely.

Following promotion from the second tier last year, it’s fair to say that Daniel Farke’s men have struggled to adapt to the demands of top-flight football this term.

Norwich have shown glimpses of promise throughout the season. But having managed just two wins in their previous 21 league games, they can’t really have any complaints.

On the other hand, West Ham’s recent performances suggest they may have what it takes to avoid relegation.

The Hammers returned to action with back-to-back defeats, but a vital win over Chelsea and a draw with Newcastle have given them a lifeline.

Despite suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat to Burnley last time out, West Ham still enjoyed the majority of possession and racked up a colossal 19 shots.

David Moyes’ side remain two places above the drop zone, level with Watford on 31 points. However, their superior goal difference gives them a slight edge over the Hornets.

Head-to-head: West Ham claimed a 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture earlier in the campaign, extending their unbeaten run against Norwich to four games.

The Hammers have won two and drawn two of their previous four meetings with Norwich, with over 1.5 goals being scored on every occasion during that period.

Team news: Norwich will be hoping that Todd Cantwell is fit after missing the last game, but Grant Hanley, Christoph Zimmermann, Moritz Leitner and Sam Byram are all likely to miss the rest of the season.

As for West Ham, Robert Snodgrass is likely to be sidelined for the remainder of the campaign. Felipe Anderson is close to making a comeback from a hamstring injury.

The Canaries will be fighting for their lives on Saturday, but West Ham are likely to be too strong for the hosts.

Forebet predicts that Norwhich’s goalscoring woes will continue. West Ham are expected to keep a clean sheet and score over 1.5 goals on their way victory.