Relegation scrap at Carrow Road
The wait is over. An agonising 3 months without the beautiful game has finally come to an end. THE PREMIER LEAGUE IS BACK and third out are rockbottom Norwich and former bottom dwellers Southampton who will fight it out at Carrow Road on Friday evening.
Norwich
Was this the break Daniel Farke and his men were desperate for? The lockdown could not have come at a better time for rockbottom Norwich who looked like they were running on fumes towards the end despite knocking a lowly Spurs out of the FA Cup whilst also registering a rare win against none other than 3rd placed Leicester (1-0).
Not looking too good
The Canaries have amassed an extremely measly 5 wins, 6 draws and 18 defeats in league play leaving them with 21 points and a well-deserved 20th place, 6 points and 10 goals up to secure ground.
Can it be done?
All is however not lost and given how much time they have been gifted to recharge their batteries, the big question is, can they rally and pull of a great escape?
A key factor is that top-scorer Teemu Pukki will have had time to recuperate from a broken toe and will hopefully be back to his best. If Pukki delivers i see no reason as to why Norwich cannot turn things around
Now or never
If they want another season in the top-flight, time is quickly running out. There are 9 games left of the season and Norwich have Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United left to play meaning this game is somewhat of a make or break fixture for them. No pressure at all.
Southampton
The Saints, much like Norwich, welcomed the break with open arms after losing 4 of their last 5 games and looking pretty depleted in the process.
Great run of form
The difference between Friday's opponents is that Ralph Hasenhuttl's got their act together and went on a stellar run of 7 wins and 2 draws in 12 games bumping them up to the safety of a 14th place before they started to stutter and run out of gas.
Giant slayers (sort of)
What's more impressive is the fact that the run of victories include triumphs away at Chelsea (0-2) and Leicester (1-2) as well as a home victory against Tottenham (1-0) stunning both tipsters and fantasy players alike. It furthermore proved that Southampton actually have the ability and what it takes to secure a contract for the 2020/21 season which is a statement in itself.
Despite survival still being on the line and the fact that they have to face the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United in the run-in they are still much better off than Fridays opposition, especially if they pull off a victory or even a draw.
Betting tip
Both teams have been involved in high-scoring fixtures and possess real quality going forward but lack sorely at the back which is why will be backing Both teams to score and over 2.5 goals at 21/20 with Betway.
