- Recent form: City have won six, drawn one and lost three of their last ten matches in all competitions while Norwich have won five, drawn one and lost four.
- Home form: City have won three and lost two of their five home matches in all current competitions, while Norwich have won two and lost two of their four away games.
- Scoring form: City have scored nine goals in their last five home games while Norwich have scored five in their last four away matches.
Citizens can take Norwich apart at Etihad
The Citizens can win games by easy when in form and right now they're in hot and heavy. Pep Guardiola's side have won four of their last five matches, rattling off four in a row with their most recent three wins.
A 4-1 away win at Crystal Palace in the Premier League was followed up by a 1-0 home win over Coventry City in the same competition and then a 2-0 away success against FC Porto in the UEFA Champions League group stage.
- Erling Haaland has three of the 10 goals that City have accumulated during their winning streak and he will be the headline attraction on Thursday.
- Philippe Clement has his side playing in a compact 4-2-3-1 formation that can easily switch to a more narrow 4-4-2 system when the need arises.
Norwich are no easy targets
Norwich are in great form themselves, winning four of their last five with back-to-back wins over Sheffield United (1-3) and Birmingham City (2-1) putting them firmly in the Championship promotion picture.
Norwich can then open up the play by switching the ball vertically and having a target-man focal point to move forward into the open spaces created by the opposition full-backs. Norwich have shown in their recent away form that they can be competitive and City will need to be alert to the counter-attack when they have pinned Norwich back.
Norwich City have won two and lost two of their away games in all comps, but their best two wins came against strong opponents. A 3-1 win at Sheffield United and a 2-1 win at Birmingham.
Odds suggest heavy hitters will win
Given the odds for this game, it's hard to recommend any other bet than a City win, although Norwich could score a goal. The Canaries are strong enough to cause a few problems with their direct style of play and City's full-backs will need to be on top of their game.
Manchester City are in the market at 1.12, Norwich at 8.1 and the draw at 8.1, so we must take the price and go for Over 2.5 goals at 1.28 and Both Teams to Score: No at 1.77.
