Norwich v West Brom: Canaries may have to wait for safety
Published:Norwich will have been as grateful as anyone that Swansea managed to turn things round at the DW Stadium last week, denying Wigan all three points and thus maintaining some breathing space for the struggling Canaries.
If the Latics had managed to preserve their 2-1 lead then Chris Hughton’s side would have been even more perilously positioned than they are already, but despite this good fortune in the north, their penultimate league match against West Brom could still be their most influential encounter of the season.
A win at home to the Baggies at 6/5 would almost certainly be enough to renew next season’s membership at England’s top-table, but few fans in Norfolk are able to convince themselves, let alone anyone else, that their team will be able to overcome what is becoming an increasingly unreachable line.
In their last two fixtures Norwich have known that three more points would have been enough, but in the same way as students all around the country let themselves wait two days before a deadline to get going, Hughton’s men have allowed themselves to become part of the relegation narrative once more with only two examinations remaining.
West Brom are cosily positioned in eighth in the table after a campaign propelled by weekly over-achievement in the first half of the season, but as Wigan found out at home to Swans, no-one in the lower reaches can rely on the mythical vacations of those teams with seemingly nothing to play for.
Steve Clarke’s side are not in great nick themselves with consecutive losses against Wigan and Man City but they showed away to Southampton before those games, when winning 3-0 at St Mary’s, that they still possess more than enough to capitalise on teams still having to watch their footing and are 11/5 to do so this weekend.
The temptation could be to invest in the game finishing 1-1 at 6/1 and potentially leaving the home side with a final day brimming with nerves. Between the two teams they have produced 11 of those results during the season.
All Odds and Markets correct as of the date of publishing.
