- City have won 4 of their last 5 games, racking off 4 consecutive victories in all competitions.
- City have won 3, drawn 0 and lost 2 of their 5 home matches in all current competitions, scoring 9 goals in 5 games.
- Norwich have won 4 of their last 5 and 2 of their last 4 away from home, scoring 5 goals in 4 matches.
City to prove too canny
Manchester City are in blistering form right now and should have no problem handling a decent Norwich City side in the EFL Cup on Thursday. The Citizens have won 4 of their last 5 matches, winning 4-1 away to Crystal Palace, 1-0 at home to Coventry City and 2-0 at FC Porto in the UEFA Champions League league stage.
Erling Haaland is their headline act, of course, but the Norwegian hitman has 3 goals in this 5-game run, during which the City attack have racked up 10 goals in total. Maresca is shaping his side into fluid 3-2-5 and 3-2-2-3 structures in possession where his inverted full-backs and 3 central players overload the center of the park, pinning opponents back.
Norwich are in decent form too, winning 2 of their last 2 Championship games and 4 of their last 5 in all competitions, but their Canaries' style isn't well suited to this fixture. Boss Philippe Clement has them structured in a compact 4-2-3-1 that can morph into a narrow 4-4-2 in possession, but they play best when they can send long passes down the center of the field, then use the target-man focal point to spring into transition.
Canaries could get caught on the counter
The Canaries will likely be able to keep the game tight for long periods, but City's controlled possession should push Norwich back, allowing the visitors to make transitions in numbers. Norwich have been solid away from home, winning 2 and losing 2 of their 4 road trips in all tournaments, and they have been dangerous going forward with 5 goals in their 4 away games.
But City are the big gun and, despite an excellent start to the campaign, Norwich have enough of a record of getting their fingered burned against the Citizens to stay away from the draw and the Norwich win markets, even if they are at a tempting price of 71/10.
We'll take Over 2.5 goals at 7/25 and Both Teams to Score: No at 77/100 in this one, although we would not put it past Norwich to get a goal at some stage of the game and give it a good go.
