Norwich vs Aston Villa Odds: Expect Goals In A Tense Encounter

Norwich put in a spirited display, despite falling short in a 1-0 defeat to Man United at the weekend. Ronaldo’s converted penalty was enough to split the sides, and Dean Smith was left furious with some of the officiating.

Villa also put in a battling display of their own, as Steven Gerrard took his team to Anfield. Villa were beaten 1-0, but Liverpool certainly had the lion share of the play, and will have felt as though they should have scored more.

Both of these managers are new to their current roles, and it is fair to say both have had a positive impact since taking the helm at their respective clubs. Norwich are in a position where every point counts, Smith joined them with the Canaries in a precarious situation, and it would be miraculous if the former Villa boss is able to steer his new club to Premier League survival.

Norwich’s last 5 matches are averaging 1.8 goals per game, while Villa’s are averaging 2.4 goals per game. 

The numbers are just as promising when it comes to corners, with Norwich’s last 5 averaging 10 corners per game, and Villa’s averaging over 11 corners per game.

Both of these sides have displayed a meaningful amount of attacking intent since they changed their managers, and I expect that to continue here. Gerrard’s Villa have faced a few tricky fixtures in recent weeks, with a victory against Leicester coming in between two one goal margin defeats to title contenders Liverpool and Manchester City. The Liverpool game was the only time Villa have failed to scored under Gerrard so far, and they will be confident of breaking down a Norwich side that currently occupy the place at the bottom of the table.

Although the table makes for grim reading for Norwich fans, the narrow defeat to Manchester United may give their fans hope that the level of performance is improving. 

Over 2.5 goals has landed in 4 of the last 5 matches between these sides, and while Norwich games haven’t been great for goals recently, both sides will see this as an opportunity to pick up all 3 points, which should guarantee us goals.

As previously mentioned, Villa have been no slouches in front of goal this season, averaging over 1.5 goals per game in all competitions, despite their struggles which saw Dean Smith lose his job. Villa had designs on European football back in August, and picking the 3 points up in games such as this is paramount to any success the club will have on that front.

On the flip side, Dean Smith was brought in at Norwich with them destined for relegation, but he will be keen to show his former employers just what his teams are capable of. The brilliance of David De Gea prevented the Canaries from finding the net at the weekend, but they will be confident of scoring if they can showcase the same creativity on Tuesday.

Ultimately, Villa have more quality on the pitch than their opponents and Gerrard is proving himself to be an astute tactician in his fledgling Premier League matches as a manager.