Liverpool’s next visitors to Anfield have won as many league games as they have lost so far this season, and Norwich arrive for the FA Cup clash off the back of defeat No. 12.
Jurgen Klopp will be reunited with the best man from his wedding on Sunday, as David Wagner leads his Norwich side to Anfield for the fourth round FA Cup tie.
The two best friends are currently separated by a division and 27 places, with Liverpool setting the pace at the top of the Premier League while the Canaries sit eighth in the Championship.
And as the Reds sealed their place in the Carabao Cup final on Wednesday, their next opponents fell to a 1-0 defeat against promotion-chasers Leeds on the same evening.
A prevalent point from a Liverpool perspective is that Leeds‘ Archie Gray picked up an injury – and they could look to Calvin Ramsay to fill the void at right-back on loan if it is serious.
Patrick Bamford, who was on loan at Norwich once upon a time, scored the winner with a header back across the goal, in a game that saw little threat from Wagner’s side.
In fact, Norwich ended the 90 minutes with just five shots on goal and eight touches in the opposition box – Leeds, by comparison, had 32.
Wagner’s assessment post-match was at odds with how many viewed proceedings, saying: “The result is frustrating. The performance, the players have done well. We gave Leeds a real game. We were absolutely competitive.”
We know Norwich as the club that yo-yos between the Premier League and Championship, typically too good for the latter but not quite ready for the former.
They were last in the top flight in 2021/22, and they remain a club in need of a refresh when it comes to the squad, while Wagner has not been able to avoid calls for his sacking throughout his reign.
The German has come under fire for some negative tactics as bids to become more defensively resolute led to low possession and little attacking threat.
Only six teams have conceded more than their 44 goals in the Championship so far.
Wagner readily opts for a 4-2-3-1 formation, and you may recall a number of their players, which includes the more experienced Ashley Barnes, Shane Duffy and Ben Gibson.
With Norwich having been unable to keep a clean sheet away from home since August, Liverpool – despite any mass rotation – ought to have far too much firepower for Wagner’s side.
Possible Norwich XI vs. LFC: Gunn; Stacey, Duffy, Hanley, Giannoulis; McLean, Nunez; Rowe, Sara, Hernandez; Idah
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