Aston Villa vs Norwich City preview, predictions and team news
There’s a relegation zone face-off on Boxing Day with Aston Villa hosting Norwich City.
Aston Villa dropped into the bottom three courtesy of a 3-1 defeat to Southampton, who overtook them, and have 15 points after 18 games.
They sit three points ahead of 19th-placed Norwich City who are only above Watford on goal difference, something that could change this weekend. With a busy Christmas period happening, both sides will want to get back to winning ways in hopes of saving their season.
Read on for our Aston Villa vs Norwich preview, team news, TV coverage information and more.
When is Aston Villa vs Norwich and where can I watch live?
Competition: Premier League
Venue: Villa Park
Date: Thursday, 26 December 2019
Kick-off: 3:00 PM (UK time)
TV coverage (UK): The game is not available on traditional TV but can be live-streamed on Amazon Prime.
Last five meetings: Aston Villa vs Norwich
05 October 2019: Norwich 1-5 Aston Villa (Premier League)
05 May 2019: Aston Villa 1-2 Norwich (Championship)
23 October 2018: Norwich 2-1 Aston Villa (Championship)
07 April 2018: Norwich 3-1 Aston Villa (Championship)
19 August 2017: Aston Villa 4-2 Norwich (Championship)
Aggregate Score: Aston Villa (WLLLW) 12-10 Norwich (LWWWL)
Ones to watch
Aston Villa: Jack Grealish
With John McGinn out injured, even more responsibility falls on Jack Grealish to carry this Aston Villa team.
The 24-year-old has been Aston Villa’s chief creator this season, creating 44 chances so far and is second to none with four assists — level alongside Anwar El Ghazi.
He has also chipped in with five goals, including one in the 3-1 defeat against Southampton at the weekend, and will need to up his game to make up for the absence of McGinn — who has scored three and assisted twice.
Key stat: Jack Grealish (nine) has been directly involved in more Premier League goals than any other Aston Villa player this season.
Norwich: Emiliano Buendia
After a quiet patch, Emiliano Buendia is back to his best. The 22-year-old was a constant menace against Wolves at the weekend, causing problems for the opposition defence with his dribbling and creativity.
He currently sits on five assists in the Premier League, with only four players managing more so far this season, and has been directly involved in 26.3% of Norwich’s 19 goals.
Creating 50 chances overall, the Argentinian has perhaps been hindered by Teemu Pukki’s poor run in front of goal between mid-September and December, but his return to form is undoubtedly a positive.
Key stat: Emiliano Buendia created nine chances in Norwich’s 2-1 defeat to Wolves, with no other Canaries player managing any.
Team news
Aston Villa
Presented by @eToro, this is how we line up to face Norwich City! 🙌#AVLNOR #AVFC pic.twitter.com/jX3nXGqNCQ
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) December 26, 2019
Norwich
🚨 TEAM NEWS 🚨
We are unchanged from Saturday's match against Wolves.#AVLNOR
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) December 26, 2019
Squawka prediction
There were six goals the last time these two met, with Aston Villa putting a very open Norwich side to the sword. But lately, neither team really look like getting going.
The fact stands that this is very much a relegation battle and it could be cagey, with Norwich looking to stay off the bottom. Both sides are winless in their past five Premier League games, with Norwich just edging the record with two draws to Aston Villa’s one.
That could be added to this Boxing Day with neither side really looking like winning a game.
Scoreline prediction: Aston Villa 0-0 Norwich
Check out more of Squawka’s betting tips here.
