Clarets Mad - Clarets v Canaries Match Preview.
Venue: Carrow Road, Norwich, NR1 1JE.
Kick-off – 12.30pm – Saturday, 4th February 2023.

Following last week’s trip to Ipswich for the FA CUP it’s back to business in the Championship as the Clarets and their legions of travelling fans make the return trip to East Anglia. This time it’s the Canaries who entertain Vincent Kompany’s table-topping Burnley team who stand a remarkable twenty points in front of promotion hopefuls Norwich City. This away fixture is the first of 7 games for the Clarets in 3 and a half weeks. Bonkers or what?

Canary co-owner Delia Smith of cookery fame replaced Dean Smith with former Huddersfield Town boss David Wagner at the turn of the year, and for the East Anglian outfit this is a “must-win” game if the Canaries are to get their promotion push back on track. Burnley on the other hand, will regard this game as a “rather not lose” match, so the pressure is very much on the home team to get a result.

The good news for Clarets fans is that Burnley will benefit from an almost fully fit squad to choose from. Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Manuel Benson remain doubtful, but it is hoped one or both will be fit to play. It was noticeable by their absence that the potent threat they constantly pose from the right wing was missing at Portman Road last Saturday. Vincent Kompany who usually plays with one central striker can chose from a smorgasbord of striking talent selecting from either Rodriguez, Barnes, Foster, Tella, Dervisoglu or latest recruit Michael Obafemi. An embarrassment of riches indeed.

All things considered it seems that Burnley boss Vincent Kompany has yet again a serious selection dilemma on his hands. Scott Twine is knocking on the door for a starting berth, Jack Cork is suspended, so it will be interesting to see how the Clarets line-up for Saturday’s lunchtime kick off. The Canaries will no doubt select the Clarets fans’ favourite pantomime villain Grant Hanley who gifted Burnley a goal in the October reverse fixture which Burnley won 1-0 at Turf Moor. Former Claret Ben Gibson may well line up alongside Hanley in the heart of the Canaries defence.

One’s to watch: Wagner has reunited former Sao Paulo pair Gabriel Sara and Gunners’ loan signing Marquinhos, Teemu Pukki is a regular scorer in the Championship and poses a constant threat and like Burnley the Canaries have a large squad to select from with tactical options galore.

For the Clarets Lyle Foster, Michael Obafemi and Scott Twine will all be looking to shine. The Clarets are scoring freely from all around the team and it’s hard not to see an attacking selection from Vincent Kompany not scoring a goal or two at Carrow Road.

Verdict: Despite the Canaries urgent need to win, a draw or an away win seems the likeliest outcome to this encounter for me, and without sitting on the fence I back the Clarets to win 3-1, with the Clarets new cult hero Anass Zaroury running riot.

Footnote: I mean no disrespect to Norwich City or their fans, but the Canaries really are the perennial yo-yo club, seemingly stuck in some sort of eternal purgatory in-between the English Premier League and the Championship.

They always appear to me to be too strong for the second tier, yet not strong enough to maintain continual survival in the top tier of English football.

I realise both Burnley and Norwich City were relegated from the English Premier League last season, but the Clarets under the auspices of Vincent Kompany look set for an immediate return; three points on Saturday would do the Canaries cause a power of good, but I expect the Clarets relentless march back to the lucre of the EPL will continue.

An opinion and post from The Editor’s Chair – Clarets Mad.

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