Having romped to the League One title last season, nobody could have quite expected the success that Norwich are enjoying at the moment. The Canaries are flying in 3rd position which is in stark contrast to opponents Crystal Palace, who are still seemingly getting over last season and sit down in 23rd place.
At first some will have thought Norwich’s early success was down to the momentum they were carrying from their promotion, but as time has passed it appears there is more to it than that. Twenty points from eleven games has propelled them into 3rd spot and at the moment they are on a small run of three unbeaten games. Their last one was a goalless draw against QPR, a result that has strengthened their promotion aspirations no end considering how strong QPR appear to be this term. Of course, it’s still early days, but there’s no doubting that in Paul Lambert the Canaries have a hugely talented manager and considering some of success in his short career already, don’t be surprised if they manage to keep their lofty position.
Crystal Palace on the other hand aren’t enjoying much success and it looks as though it’ll be a long, hard struggle for George Burley’s men. Having only narrowly avoided extinction during the summer, you could say they are lucky to even be competing, but with new owners in place there was renewed optimism at Selhurst Park. The appointment of Burley seemed to be a step in the right direction but the Eagles have struggled to hit any sort of form and they’ve picked up just the eight points from the opening eleven fixtures. Worryingly, their form over recent weeks has been abysmal and Burley will know that it’s vital to end the five game winless run that the club are currently on if they are to survive.
In terms of team news, the home side will have to cope without the influence of Elliott Ward as he sits out through suspension. Elsewhere, fellow defender Adam Drury is hoping to beat a hamstring injury and be declared fit to feature. All of Crystal Palace’s news focuses on suspensions and George Burley will firstly welcome back striker James Vaughan who returns after completing a one game ban. However, a second red card of the season for Claude Davis means that he’s now going to miss the next four games.
As for a prediction, we’re going to go with the obvious. Norwich have the form, the home advantage and the league position and it would be silly to bet against them. Paul Lambert’s men have enjoyed a brilliant start to life back in the Championship and we fully expect that to continue here. 3-1 Canaries.
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