OXFORD UNITED begin their return to the Championship with a home clash against Norwich City. Neither team looked particularly solid at the back in preseason and those defensive problems mean goals could be expected on Saturday.
It has been a long way back to the Championship for Oxford United, who were last in the second tier back in 1999. They secured promotion via the playoffs after beating Bolton Wanderers 2-0 in the final.
Oxford United have not been particularly convincing in preseason and have lost three of their last four matches. Des Buckingham’s team wrapped up their campaign with a 2-0 defeat to Italian side Palermo in their final warm-up fixture.
Norwich City will come into this season hoping to build on the previous campaign. They went all the way to the playoffs but failed to make it past the semi-finals, losing 4-0 on aggregate to Leeds United.
The Canaries have a new manager at the helm with Johannes Hoff Thorup taking charge of the team. Pre-season was not particularly smooth for Norwich City, who picked up just one win from six warm up matches.
How the bookies view it: Canaries to prevail
Norwich City have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 11/8 by Betfred to claim the win. A victory for Oxford United is valued at 12/5 while Betfred is also offering odds of 2/1 for a draw.
Head to head: Norwich with the advantage
Norwich City have a 6-3 advantage with one draw from 10 previous matches against Norwich City. The last meeting between both teams was a Championship clash in 1999, with the Canaries claiming a 4-2 victory.
Players to watch: Eyes on Sargent
Josh Sargent was one of the standout players for Norwich City last season and finished as their leading scorer with 16 goals. The forward will be looking to carry that form into the new campaign and is priced at 15/8 with Betfred.
Oxford United also have some quality in attack, particularly with Ruben Rodrigues, who scored nine goals in League One last season. The forward could be worth keeping an eye on at 7/2 with Betfred.
Probable line-ups
Ruben Rodrigues is expected to feature in attack for Oxford United alongside Mark Harris. Cameron Brannagan should feature in midfield while Elliott Moore should start at the heart of the defence.
Josh Sargent should lead the line once again for Norwich City, with Jonathan Rowe providing support. Marcelino Nunez should continue in midfield while Grant Hanley should lead the backline for the Canaries.
Oxford United: Cumming, Bennett, Moore, Leigh, Brown, Vaulks, Brannagan, Goodrham, McEachran, Rodrigues, Harris
Norwich City: Gunn, Chrisene, Hanley, Sorensen, Stacy, Nunez, McLean, Rowe, Gibson, Sainz, Sargent
Anything else catch the eye?
With neither defence looking solid at the moment, both teams could be backed to score at 4/6 with Betfred. Over 2.5 goals is priced at 4/5 by Betfred, who is also offering odds of 9/4 for over 3.5 goals.
A closely fought opening could be expected here, so a halftime draw could be on the cards at 6/5 with Betfred.
This England Championship match between Oxford United and Norwich City will be played on Aug 10, 2024 and kick off at 12:30. Check below for our tipsters best Oxford United vs Norwich City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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