HomeFeatured ArticlesTottenham vs Norwich City Preview | Team News, Stats & Key Men

Tottenham vs Norwich City Preview | Team News, Stats & Key Men

Tottenham will be looking to quickly recover from three successive defeats with an FA Cup victory over Norwich City. It won’t be an easy match for the home side, as they have struggled against the Canaries in both Premier League meetings this season. At Carrow Road, they were fortunate to get a point. Meanwhile, they registered a 2-1 win at home thanks to a late winner from Son Heung-min. They will be without the South Korean on Wednesday and that will make their task more difficult. The visitors come into the game following a 1-0 win over Leicester City and they have no pressure on them. This makes them a very dangerous opposition for Spurs.

The season is approaching a key period for Jose Mourinho, as Tottenham’s hopes in three competitions will be decided over the next 10 days. This is a key game, as the Portuguese manager would like to end the club’s trophy drought early in this tenure. This was the main reason why he was given the job. The weekend’s match against Burnley looks to be a must-win following back-to-back Premier League defeats. They will then face the difficult task of overturning a first-leg deficit against RB Leipzig. Supporters are losing confidence already and it is crucial that the next few matches are positive for the manager.

Norwich City had a mixed weekend, due to the results of other teams. The Canaries managed to beat Leicester City on Friday night to keep their survival hopes alive. However, other teams at the bottom managed to pick up points and Daniel Farke’s men were left adrift by six points. It is still looking tough to remain in the Premier League, but they showed on Friday that they won’t give up without a fight. For teams battling to stay up, it is crucial to build momentum at this time of the season. They will go to Tottenham with confidence and a positive game plan, which should lead to an entertaining match.

Interesting stats

Jose Mourinho has only lost three matches in a row on three previous occasions as a manager. Tottenham are facing a fourth successive defeat on Wednesday.

Jamal Lewis’ winner against Leicester City was Norwich’s only goal in February.

Key men

Bergwijn

It would have been planned to ease Steven Bergwijn into Premier League football following his arrival from PSV Eindhoven. However, injuries to Son Heung-min and Harry Kane mean that Spurs have been forced to rely on the young Dutchman. Despite the difficulty of adapting to the English game as an Eredivisie export, Bergwijn has done very well. He has two goals from four matches, showing that he does carry a goal threat at this level. The match against Wolves was a learning experience for him. It was difficult to get into the game, aside from his goal, which was well taken. He managed to anticipate the opportunity and found space in the penalty area, showing his reading of the game. Despite the loss, Bergwijn completed 88.9% of his passes and lost possession only seven times. This seems to be a strength of his and a major reason why Tottenham brought him to this country. He will be one of their main threats on Wednesday.

Cantwell

The next few weeks will be important for the future of Todd Cantwell. He has been a revelation for Norwich City and he has been linked to bigger Premier League clubs. Regardless of the division the Canaries find themselves in, the midfielder will be subject to transfer speculation. It will be in matches like this one that he can prove his worth at the highest level. This season has been a positive one for him, as he has exploded onto the scene and cemented a regular starting role under Farke. This is impressive, as he started only 18 times in the Championship last year. He has already surpassed that with 24 Premier League starts. His overall impact has also improved, as he has contributed six goals and two assists. Tottenham are vulnerable at the back, especially to counter-attacks, as Wolves showed on a number of occasions on Sunday. Cantwell will look to drift into pockets of space and provide forward drive to the Norwich attack. The 22-year-old has shown that he can cause problems with his movement and willingness to run into the box to support attacks.

Team news

Hugo Lloris is a major doubt following the knock that saw him miss the weekend defeat to Wolves. Juan Foyth is another doubt for the home side. Son Heung-min, Harry Kane and Moussa Sissoko remains long term absentees.

Christoph Zimmermann could be missing for the visitors. Onel Hernandez, Sam Byram and Timm Klose are all unavailable.

Verdict

This should be an entertaining match, as the two previous meetings were. Tottenham may have taken more points from the games, but they were far from the superior side that they are expected to be. Norwich caused them problems, with their attacking intent and quality in forward areas. Spurs have struggled at the back since Jose Mourinho took charge and they are unlikely to keep a clean sheet on Wednesday. There should be goals. That said, the home side remain the most likely winners.

Tottenham 3-2 Norwich City

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