Sunderland Vs Norwich: Official Sunderland Not606 Match Thread please log in to view this image Stadium Of Light please log in to view this image Sunderland Team News Early News: On Wearside, Carlos Cuellar still has a hurt hip, but Jack Colback and Keiren Westwood should be fit again. Norwich Team News Early News: Robert Snodgrass (knee), Anthony Pilkington (hamstring), Alex Tettey (ankle) and Elliott Bennett (knee) huddle for warmth glumly in an East Anglian treatment room, while Mark Bunn and Ricky van Wolfswinkel skip happily free from medical custody. Poyet "I need us to control it as we did against West Ham and be strong mentally and physically, like we were against Chelsea," he told reporters. "Any team coming to the Stadium of Light knows that the home team play well and, if the home team scores, it becomes very difficult because the fans are so amazing in getting behind their team. "I'm sure the Norwich game will be about who controls it and we have to control it in the boxes – that's where we need to be at our strongest. "We are confident after beating Chelsea in the cup and drawing with West Ham in the league in the last week. "We are fit after playing extra time and now we have Jack Colback and Steven Fletcher back – so we have no excuses. Hughton “It will be as big a challenge as any other game we will play in this division,” “Sunderland are on the back of a very good win, albeit not in the league, so they will be buoyed by that - but that is them." “We are also in good form ourselves, on the back of a very good away win at West Brom and a good performance against Swansea, so will be looking for that to continue." “We have gone through a spell of late where we have shown some confidence in front of goal." “Gus Poyet is the Sunderland manager and has to do everything he can to make sure his team get the result, but I am the manager here at Norwich and my concerns and thoughts are only to focus on our own team and getting the result we want to get.” One To Watch Fabio Borini please log in to view this image He's quick, agile, tenacious and hungry. With two very important goals to his name combined with those attributes imagine what goals in back to back games could do for the lively italian? The Managers The duo have met twice before in their former guises as bosses of Brighton & Hove Albion (Gus) and Birmingham City (Chris) – with a 1-1 draw (in October 2011) and a 0-0 stalemate (in April 2012) resulting. Poyet is determined to get all his sides playing decent passing football, while Hughton will probably adapt a more pragmatic approach away from home. Expect it to be tight. What the 'Experts' Say please log in to view this image Lawrenson Sunderland got an absolutely top result in midweek with their Capital One Cup win over Chelsea but what impressed me most was the way they kept going until the end of that match. The Black Cats are four points adrift at the bottom of the Premier League but they have picked up under Gus Poyet and they are in better shape than the league table suggests. Norwich were second-best at the start of their 1-1 draw against Swansea last week but, the way they ended that game, they probably should have won it. All they were lacking was a bit of composure in the final third. The heat has been off Canaries boss Chris Hughton a little bit for a couple of weeks now, but a defeat by the bottom side might put it back on him. Sunderland essentially have to win these kind of games if they are going to have a chance of staying up. Lawro's prediction: 2-1 Merson This game is like a cup final. It's a big game for Norwich, but it's 100 times more important for Sunderland because they have to win. They had to play extra time in midweek, but they came through that and rode their luck so fair play to them. There looks to be a good team spirit there and I've seen enough from them in that game to suggest they will be good enough to win this important match. I really fancy them. PAUL PREDICTS: 2-1 What the Phallus says We could do with a comfortable win and a clean sheet, Norwich offers the first chance in a while to put in a reassuring, calming, home performance in the league to help steady our form and get 3 much needed points on the board. 2-0 Last 4 Meetings [table="width: 500, class: grid, align: center"] [tr] [td]Season[/td] [td]Date[/td] [td]Home[/td] [td]Score[/td] [td]Away[/td] [td]Competition[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]2012/2013[/td] [td]Sun 17 Mar[/td] [td]Sunderland[/td] [td]1-1[/td] [td]Norwich[/td] [td]Premier League[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][/td] [td]Sun 02 Dec[/td] [td]Norwich[/td] [td]2-1[/td] [td]Sunderland[/td] [td]Premier League[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]2011/2012[/td] [td]Wed 01 Feb[/td] [td]Sunderland[/td] [td]3-0[/td] [td]Norwich[/td] [td]Premier League[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][/td] [td]Mon 26 Sep[/td] [td]Norwich[/td] [td]2-1[/td] [td]Sunderland[/td] [td]Premier League[/td] [/tr] [/table] Stats n Facts There have been fewer than 3 goals in 7 of Sunderland’s last 11 home matches against middle-third clubs. The Black Cats have lost just once in their last 15 home matches to middle-third clubs, winning 6 and drawing 8. Norwich have conceded more goals on the road than any other club in the league this season (21). Craig Gardner scored in both Premier League meetings with Norwich City last season. None of the last 11 league meetings between Norwich and Sunderland have ended as an away win (9 home wins, 2 draws). Betting please log in to view this image Live match stream please log in to view this image Click here for links to a choice of match streams TEAMS SUNDERLAND Mannone, Celustka, Bardsley, Brown, O'Shea (C), Cattermole, Ki, Larsson, Borini, Giaccherini, Altidore. Subs: Dossena, Gardner, Fletcher, Johnson, Colback, Roberge, Pickford. NORWICH Ruddy; Whittaker, Turner, Bassong, Olsson; Snodgrass, Fer, Johnson, Redmond; Elmander, Hooper. Subs: Bunn (GK), van Wolfswinkel, Hoolahan, Garrido, Becchio, R Bennett, Josh Murphy.
Very, very important game for us..Every man, woman, child and their dogs with Sunderland at their heart needs to get behind them for this one..
OP updated. Just waiting for more detailed match info to be published and for the lazy **** so called experts to pull their finger out of eachothers arses.
My team ---------------Mannone------------- Celustka---oshea----brown----bardsley -------Larsson----Ki---Cattermole------- Borini--------------------------Giaccherini ------------------Altidore------------------- 2-0 to the lads in red and white!!!! Come on
Absolutely, Fletcher is ill unfit and doesn't look interested. Altidore runs his arse off for lost causes and helps the team. The only criticism I have is he should be a little bit more selfish as some people won't look past goals.
I was Fletchers biggest fan and was raving about him years before he came. I just got a sense against Man City that he wasn't up for it. If he's not scoring goals he's not really contributing because he doesnt do the lone striker role as well as Jozy. Its a headache/option we didn't have last season though.
What the Smug says, "Not this **** again " This would be 3 games without defeat if we can beat Norwich and a massive confidence boost to everyone. We've now scored recently, at home, against Spurs, Chelsea, Man City etc, and if we score against Norwich we'll win ....... 2 nowt for me Haway Sunderland!!!!!!!!!
I really wish I could get to that match mate. I've always said that we have 8 of the relegation teams to play at home and Norwich are the first, it's in our own hands. Lose this and I'll start worrying for the first time tbh. I have to grudgingly say that the thread isn't that bad ...... I've noticed other boards are starting to copy your's so fair play
that would be my starting 11 too, parker. with ki a little further up in the pitch alongside borini and giacc.
How dare they? <anger> If the club had set up a direct debit scheme for the 10 game card like they did for the full season and 15 game cards I'd be going I do get to join the league cup party as a result though. So there's some consolation. Still wish I was going. Right I'm off to lurk round the boards
No contest atm Borini all day. Johnson is beginning to look the nob who turns up to play 5 a side in pink boots then falls over the first he goes to shoot.
I think we have all noticed that Fletcher has not been himself the past few outings..we do need him sharp, otherwise it is even more important to get another striker in asap i.e. January. Currently I expect us to be relegated but I hope that we will not, for that (forlorn)hope to turn to expectation of staying up, we need to create and score more goals.
