Week Five – Friday – Sport Grill

Norwich City welcome Millwall to Carrow Road in a huge Friday Night Football clash in 2022-23 Sky Bet Championship. 

Victory could lift Norwich as high as fourth until Saturday afternoon, whilst Millwall can temporarily go top with victory.

Team News

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Teemu Pukki is a doubt for Norwich as he continues his recovery from a foot injury which kept him out of Tuesday’s win over Huddersfield.

Sam Byram (fitness) is available for selection but Adam Idah (fitness) is still ruled out but could be available for their Carabao Cup tie against Bournemouth next Tuesday (23 August).

Millwall could have Zian Flemming available for the first time this season after the Dutchman missed their last four matches with a knee injury.

Tom Bradshaw meanwhile has missed the Lions’ last three matches with a groin injury and could also feature if fit enough for selection.

Stat Attack

• Norwich have lost just one of their last 10 meetings against Millwall (W6, D3, L1).
• Millwall have failed to win any of their last 22 visits to Norwich in all competitions (D7, L15).
• Both teams have scored in four of their last five meetings at Carrow Road – except for a goalless draw in November 2020.
• Daniel Sinani is the only Norwich player to have produced a goal and assist from their opening four league matches this season.
• Millwall have snatched four points from their last two matches after having initially gone 2-0 down in the first half (W1, D1).

Prediction

Having initially struggled to adapt to life back in the Championship, Norwich finally showed signs of settling with a clinical performance in midweek, maximising their pace and space awareness to punish poor marking from Huddersfield despite conceding late on.

Millwall’s defence meanwhile look like they need some sort of alarm clock attached to them because they have been slow out of the traps in their last two matches, especially in midweek at Swansea where they were lucky to draw through two lucky own goals after wasting several chances of their own.

This clash should therefore be fun because if Dean Smith’s Canaries deliver another strong display, Millwall will be lucky to get even one point but this is a chance for the Lions to test themselves early on, so I expect them to take the fight to Norwich.

Carrow Road though has been a hoodoo ground for Millwall who are yet to score on the road from their own players this season, so I fancy Norwich to have the edge.

Prediction: Norwich 1-0 Millwall