Norwich City v Burnley: Prediction, Tips and Odds

Burnley are considered serious automatic promotion candidates in the Championship and they can get two recent frustrating draws out of their system by beating Norwich City at Carrow Road on Sunday.

Norwich City v Burnley betting tips and predictions

Burnley to win - 6/4

Burnley need to get their promotion bid back on track after two draws and they should do it by seeing off Norwich at Carrow Road.

Even though Scott Parker's side have been held by Middlesbrough and Derby County in successive home games, they still remain firmly in the promotion picture.

Three points in East Anglia would be the perfect pre-Christmas pick-me-up for a side who have looked like one of the strongest in the competitive Championship for much of the season.

They are on a seven-game unbeaten run going into Sunday's clash and four wins to nil over Swansea City, Bristol City, Coventry City and Stoke City before those two recent draws are evidence of just how strong of a second-tier outfit they are.

Norwich were also talked about as potential promotion candidates this summer and, while the Canaries remain well placed to at least mount a play-off push in the second half of the campaign, they look a bit short in terms of quality to muscle into the race to finish in the top two.

Johannes Hoff Thorup's side have failed to win, or even score, in their last two outings, losing 3-0 at QPR before being held to a goalless draw by Portsmouth.

Results before those matches, however, indicate how good they can be on their day. A 6-1 home success over Plymouth Argyle and a 4-2 win, also at Carrow Road, over Luton Town, are victories not to be sniffed at.

The hosts should test Burnley, but expect Parker's men to prevail to inject some timely momentum into their promotion bid.

Under 2.5 goals - 8/11

Both sides have struggled for goals in December with Norwich yet to score at all this month, while the Clarets have only found the back of the net once.

This is likely to be a tight, tense occasion but Burnley can repeat what has been an effective tactic for them this season - namely getting their noses in front and then managing the clash well to see out victory.

Rarely have Parker's side blown opponents away, evidenced by the fact they have won five matches by a single-goal margin this season, while they have only scored more than two goals in two league games - and they were both back in August.

Norwich's leaky defence has hindered them this term. Thorup's side have shipped a worryingly-high 30 goals from 20 matches, while scoring at the other end - which was not a problem earlier in the campaign - has suddenly also become an issue.

The Canaries head into this tough game having failed to score in their last two outings and that must be a huge concern for Sunday, which looks like being a low-scoring encounter.

Borja Sainz to be booked - 7/2

Canaries forward Borja Sainz has been making plenty of headlines this season for all the right reasons after banging in 15 league goals to lead the top-scorer chart in the second tier.

That is five more than anyone else in the Championship and, while he will have his eye on adding to his tally against the Clarets, he could also be in trouble with the referee on Sunday.

Sainz has been guilty of giving away the most fouls in the Norwich squad in the league this season, with his 31 offences seven more than anyone else, while he has been shown a yellow card three times.

His last booking came in the recent 3-0 defeat to QPR and with Burnley likely to dominate possession, Sainz could become isolated.

That could lead to some frustration as he will be tasked to get back behind the ball at times and, if he gives away more fouls in the manner in which he has done all season, another booking could be forthcoming.

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Norwich City v Burnley odds

Norwich City - 15/8
Draw - 11/5
Burnley - 6/4

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.