Norwich City v Arsenal - Premier League Preview

Depending on results elsewhere, this could be last chance saloon for Norwich City, or a rather sad occasion as their Premier League status will already have been surrendered. Canaries fans will be praying that Sunderland lose in mid-week, but will also feel a sense of resignation that the writing is already on the wall for them.

Regardless of Sunderland’s results, Norwich must also beat an Arsenal side who they would usually be expected to lose to. The Gunners’ big day out this season is still to come, with the FA Cup final just over a week away, but it’s possible that the players could be playing for a cup final place in this match, and thus have some form of motivation. Altenatively, they could turn in a rather lacklustre and limp performance, as they did in beating West Brom by a single goal in their previous game.

Nevertheless, Arsenal can reflect on a pretty good season at all, providing they pick up their first trophy in nearly a decade. While some of the more critical supporters of the club may assert that they were in a strong position to make a real title tilt, I’m not sure that this was particularly realistic, and they have probably achieved more than could be reasonably expected. This campaign can be viewed as a season of progression.

I did think at the time that when Theo Walcott got basly injured that Arsenal had no chance of winning the league. Players such as Walcott don`t grow on trees, and Arsenal had no valid way of replacing him. Imagine if Suarez had got injured for Liverpool, they would have been lucky to get a top four place. Unquestionably, the Arsenal team in general needs more pace, and a quick striker should be a priority. But if they manage to sing someone suitable, and maybe a top-class defensive midfielder, I think they have an extremely strong squad for next season. Whether this will equate to a genuine title challenge is debatable, but I think their squad is in the best shape for many years.

Norwich always looked likely to drop out of the division this season, in my opinion, and a club of their size will always be swimming against the tide in the Premier League. The Canaries have looked a poor side, and the signing of Ricky van Wolfswinkel has been little short of disastrous. They will have a massive rebuilding job to do next season, and their immediate focus will be on stabilising their squad and financial situation.

So will Arsenal give 100% in this one? I can see this being very much an end of season affair with one team doomed to relegation and the other largely unmotivated with bigger fish to fry. Arsenal are obviously good enough to win, but I can see this one ending up a draw, with Arsenal having little incentive or motivation to play for a win.

Safe Bet – Draw (14/5 with BetVictor) Value Bet – Norwich City 1 – 1 Arsenal (8/1 with BetVictor)

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06/05/2014     © Frixo 2024