Crystal Palace clash will provide a benchmark test for Norwich City

There is finally some life in Norwich City as the Canaries have lifted themselves off the bottom of the Premier League table.

A dire start to life back in the top flight saw them begin the campaign with six consecutive defeats, failing to pick up a single win until November 6th. At that point, the decision had already been made to sack manager Daniel Farke and replace him with Dean Smith.

Unsurprisingly, this proved to be a controversial move, with the Canaries appointing a manager who himself had been fired by Aston Villa just eight days before moving to Carrow Road. While it took a little while for him to initially steady the ship, Norwich are now putting in consistent performances and picking up positive results.

However, the question remains as to whether or not this will be enough to keep them in the top flight.

The Canaries are sat one point above the relegation zone going into Gameweek 24, but all three of the sides below them have games in hand. Watford and Newcastle both have an additional game on Norwich, while Burnley have three extra matches to play after a succession of postponements over the winter break.

While it would be incredibly unlikely, if the three teams at the bottom of the table win their games in hand, it would send Smith’s side back to the foot of the table.

Norwich have nobody to blame but themselves for the predicament that they find themselves in. After all, giving the rest of the division an 11-match head start saw fans and pundits alike voicing their certainties that the Canaries would be relegated as early as October. However, on the back of four wins in their last five, there is a feint sense of hopefulness in Norfolk for the first time since the summer of 2021.

The Canaries registered consecutive league victories for the first time since November, seeing off Everton at Carrow Road before winning a crucial clash away at Watford which led to the sacking of Hornets boss Claudio Ranieri. Furthermore, they now find themselves in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup, with a trip to Liverpool the prize for seeing off Charlton Athletic and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Of course, the priority will be their Premier League performances and fans will be desperate to see some form of consistency to provide optimism that they will remain in the division. That starts with a home tie against Crystal Palace on Wednesday evening.

The Eagles have little to play for in terms of their league position. The gap between them and Arsenal in the last European spot stands at 12 points, with Patrick Vieira’s men building up a comfortable nine-point cushion on the bottom three. Many believe that the South London outfit will turn their attentions to winning the FA Cup instead, with a winnable tie at home to Championship side Stoke City awaiting them in the next round.

Crucially, this fixture will provide a benchmark test for Norwich, who were comfortably beaten in the reverse fixture at Selhurst Park back in December. The Eagles found themselves 3-0 up at half-time, before stepping off the gas in the second half against a threadbare Canaries side, who were missing a plethora of first-team players through injury and illness.

With a much stronger and healthier looking squad, Norwich will be expected to get a positive result to keep them out of the relegation zone ahead of facing the current top two in consecutive games. The Canaries will host league leaders Manchester City on Saturday afternoon, before heading up to Anfield to face Liverpool the following weekend.

While fans will mostly be focused on their own team’s results, many will have an eye on how the sides below them are doing as well, particularly Newcastle United. Of the current bottom four, the Magpies are widely considered to be the favourites to avoid relegation after spending just shy of £100 million in the January transfer window. Their marquee signings include Kieran Trippier from Atlético Madrid and Bruno Guimarães from Olympique Lyon.

Norwich obviously do not have that level of resources, opting not to sign a single player in January. The main business of note that the Canaries completed was loaning Todd Cantwell to Championship side AFC Bournemouth, with an option to buy him for a reported fee of £10 million at the end of the season.

While the winger was tipped to be a key player for his boyhood side this season, injuries and disciplinary issues saw him depart Carrow Road.

Unlike their previous clash, both Norwich and Crystal Palace will have near fully fit squads to choose from. Canaries’ duo Tim Krul and Jacob Sørensen are both ruled out through injury however, while James McArthur and James Tomkins have both returned to training and could feature for the Eagles.

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