English Premier League Soccer - Norwich City vs. Brighton & Hove Albion, 7/4/20 - Preview, Prediction & Odds
Sitting at the very bottom of the Premier League, Norwich City will try to snatch a rare win while hosting 15th-placed Brighton & Hove Albion, who are still battling to avoid relegation themselves. Kick-off - at 7:30 AM ET on Saturday, July 4.
Norwich Get Battered By Gunners
The downfall of Norwich City continued, as the team recorded its fourth consecutive league defeat without scoring a goal for the first time since May 2016 after being thrashed with a count of 4-0 by Arsenal away at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday. Crucial mistakes by goalie Tim Krul and forward Josip Drmic contributed to the Norfolk club’s sixth defeat in its past seven EPL outings (W1 L6), with the Canaries having managed to score just a single goal in their last eight league games in total. Norwich remains bottom of the Premier League with a W5 D6 L21 record, sitting seven points below safety.
Finnish striker Teemu Pukki leads the Canaries with 11 league snipes but has failed to score a single marker for eight consecutive appearances in the Premier League. Dutchman Krul, meanwhile, sits 3rd in the competition’s goalie chart, having stopped 110 shots thus far this year. He has collected five clean sheets in 30 games during the ongoing campaign and allows a goal every 51 minutes of play. Norwich have scored the absolute lowest quantity of goals this season (25), while taking the 12th highest amount of shots per game (11.3). The team is 9th in both ball possession (50.5%) and passing accuracy (80.3%).
Brighton Get Outdone By Red Devils
A three-game unbeaten stretch (W1 D2) finally came to an end for Brighton & Hove Albion after the team was beaten with a count of 3-0 by Manchester United at Amex Stadium on Tuesday, thus registering its first home defeat to the Red Devils since April 1982. The Seagulls controlled just 38% of the ball possession, were outshot 12-8 and failed to score a single goal in a match for the fourth time in their past five outings. The seaside club has managed to win just one game in all competitions in 2020 (W1 D7 L5), currently sitting 15th in the league (W7 D12 L13), six points above the bottom-three.
French forward Neal Maupay tops Brighton’s scoring chart with nine Premier League markers but has found the back of the net just once in his last five contests. Goalie Mat Ryan, meanwhile, sits 5th in the EPL with 102 saves. He has recorded seven clean sheets in 32 matches this season and concedes a goal every 65 minutes on average. The Seagulls have netted the 14th highest number of goals during the current campaign (34) while posting the 8th highest quantity of shots per game (12.6). The team is 7th in both ball possession (53.0%) and passing accuracy (81.3%).
Prediction
Even though Norwich City are occupying the very basement of the Premier League at the moment, sitting seven points below safety, there are still 18 points left to fight for in the competition, leaving the Canaries with extra motivation to battle against teams in similar circumstances. Brighton & Hove Albion are six points above the drop-zone but are yet to be guaranteed a place in England’s top tier for the following season, thus making this a must-win contest for the Seagulls as well. Brighton has beaten Norwich in two of the last three encounters, but have failed to win any of their previous five trips to Norfolk in all competitions (D1 L4). If anything, expect the teams to split points! Seven of the last 12 Premier League games of the Seagulls have already ended as stalemates, while the Canaries have picked up points in four of their last seven domestic contests in the EPL (W2 D2 L3).
Best bet:
Draw (+230)
Correct score: 1-1 (+540)
Neal Maupay to score anytime (+165)