Manchester City will feel confident of progressing into the next round of the English League Cup when they host Norwich City on Thursday evening.
Enzo Maresca’s side have won all of their five games this season and are coming off a morale-boosting 1-0 victory against Manchester United.
They take on a Norwich side who lost 4-3 to Middlesbrough in a thrilling Championship match last Saturday.
The Canaries have already negotiated two EFL Cup rounds, beating MK Dons 4-1 and Cardiff City 2-1 to reach this stage.
City are the reigning League Cup champions and have won the competition nine times. Norwich have lifted it twice, in 1962 and 1985.
City come into the match as clear favorites but Cup games can be tricky with squad rotation and an eager Championship side eager to prove a point.
Will this be a sixth consecutive win for Man City, or can Norwich cause an upset to progress to the next round? Here is our predicted outcome for the match.
ALSO READ: Man United vs Brighton EFL Cup prediction: Match preview, team news, key stats & h2h
What time does Man City vs Norwich start?
The game kicks off at 9:30PM E.A.T at the Etihad
Man City vs Norwich team news
City are expected to rotate following their recent run of matches, starting with Geronimo Rulli in goal.
Phil Foden is suspended following his red card in the Manchester derby, while Jeremy Doku is a major doubt with a calf injury.
Ilman Ndiaye and Matteo Kovacic are also set to start here, with Enzo Fernandez and Rayan Cherki expected to settle for a place on the bench.
Erling Haaland has been instrumental this season and his goal was the decider in the Manchester derby. The Norwegian may continue to lead the attacking line.
Norwich have several injury concerns. Gabriel Forsyth, Mirko Topic, Ali Ahmed and Lucien Mahovo are reported unavailable.
Mohamed Touré has scored five times in seven appearances this season, but could begin on the bench.
Man City vs Norwich head-to-head and current form
City have won their last three meetings with Norwich, although those games took place several seasons ago and involved different squads.
The last time these sides met was in the 2021/22 Premier League season and City came out 4-0 winners.
The Canaries have lost two and won three of their last five matches in all competitions, while City have won all of their games.
Current form:
Man City – WWWWW
Norwich – LWWLW
ALSO READ: AC Milan vs Benfica Europa League prediction: Match preview, team news, key stats & h2h
Man City vs Norwich previous matches
- Norwich 0-4 Man City (February 12, 2022)
- Man City 5-0 Norwich (August 21, 2021)
- Man City 5-0 Norwich (July 26, 2020)
- Norwich 3-2 Man City (September 14, 2019)
- Norwich 0-0 Man City (March 12, 2016)
Man City vs Norwich prediction
City are strong favourites because of their home advantage, superior squad depth and recent form.
Norwich have shown attacking ability in the cup, but their defensive vulnerability could be exposed against City’s forwards.
However, this match traditionally produces goals and this could be the case here as well.
Prediction – Man City to win or Over 2.5 goals – PLACE YOUR BET ON THIS GAME HERE!