It is an all-Championship affair as Norwich City host Blackburn Rovers in an FA Cup third round clash on Sunday. Neither side has been at their best lately but Blackburn have already won at Carrow Road this season and will be confident of once again coming out on top.
After being top of the Championship during the earlier stage of the season, Norwich have been on a downward spiral in recent weeks. They have dropped into the bottom half of the Championship standings and head into Sunday’s clash with just one win from their last six matches.
Norwich City have appointed David Wagner as the club's new head coach on a 12-month rolling contract, following the sacking of Dean Smith.
A 1-0 home defeat to Watford last time out highlights Norwich City’s recent struggles at Carrow Road where they have won just once in their last nine matches. They have been beaten five times in that run, including a 2-0 Championship defeat to Blackburn Rovers.
Rovers have also not been at their best in recent weeks but are still faring much better than Norwich at the moment. Jon Dahl Tomasson’s men remain in contention for a playoff finish in the Championship and are already through the quarterfinals of the Carabao Cup.
Rovers ended a three-match losing run last time out as they claimed a 1-0 victory over Cardiff City in the Championship. Bradley Dack’s effort just after the restart proved to be the difference in a keenly contested encounter.
Blackburn Rovers have also earned some decent results on their recent travels, beating the likes of Middlesbrough and Hull City. However, they remain suspect defensively with just one clean sheet in their last five away matches.
How the bookies view it
Despite their recent struggles, Norwich City are still considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 5/6 with Coral. Bet365 are offering 15/4 for a Blackburn Rovers victory while a draw is set at odds of 29/10 by Unibet.
Head to head
Norwich City have an 8-7 advantage with nine draws from 24 previous matches with Blackburn Rovers. However, Rovers are unbeaten in the last two meetings and claimed a 2-0 victory in a Championship fixture at Carrow Road back in December.
Players to watch
Teemu Pukki has been one of the few shining lights for Norwich City in recent weeks and has scored eight Championship goals. The striker has also been on target three times in the last five meetings with Blackburn Rovers and can be backed to get on the score sheet at 8/5 with William Hill.
Ben Brereton is in the middle of a dry spell but is still expected to lead the line for Blackburn Rovers. The striker remains Rovers’ top scorer with nine Championship goals and is priced at 13/5 by William Hill to end his drought on Sunday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Norwich City and Blackburn Rovers have shown little defensive solidity in recent weeks and both teams can be backed to score at 3/4 with bet365. Over 2.5 goals is priced at 17/20 with Unibet, who are also offering odds of 9/4 for over 3.5 goals.
There have been more goals after the break in the last three meetings and Sunday’s clash could be tipped to follow a similar pattern at 11/10 with Paddy Power. Blackburn Rovers have opened the scoring in four of their last five matches and could be tipped to score first at 7/4 with bet365.
This FA Cup match between Norwich City and Blackburn Rovers will be played on Jan 8, 2023 and kick off at 14:00. Check below for our tipsters best Norwich City vs Blackburn Rovers prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
