West Ham needs to shake off the disappointment of being bundled out of the Europa League semi-final quick smart. The Hammers head to Carrow Road to face dead last Norwich City in some horrible form. David Moyes’ men need to rediscover how to win or risk getting nothing from a season that promised so much.
Prior to their last league fixture at Carrow Road, The Irons had a dreadful record there. The 4-0 victory over Norwich back in 2020 ended a 17-game witness streak for West Ham at The Canaries’ home ground.
A Jarrod Bowen brace was enough for The Hammers to secure all three points in the reverse fixture this season. Because of the bizarre nature of the Premier League schedule this season, that match took place in January of this year.
Norwich City fell to a 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa last weekend. The result left them rooted at the bottom of the EPL table. Relegation is an inevitability for Dean Smith’s men.
West Ham fell to a 2-1 defeat to Arsenal in their last Premier League fixture. The East London club’s form line is worrying at the moment. They have not tasted victory in their last 5 fixtures in all competitions.
Norwich City vs West Ham
When is it? Sunday, May 8th, 2022 2 PM UK Time.
Where is it? Carrow Road, Norwich
Who’s in form? Norwich (DLLLL) West Ham (DLLLL)
What are the odds? Norwich (+370) West Ham (-125) Draw (+270)
After Extra Time Podcast: Spotify Apple Podcasts
Team News
With Ben Johnson fit to appear off the bench in the Europa League semi-final defeat to Die Adler, the Hammers only have one actual injury concern.
That player is a long-term injury victim named Angelo Ogbonna. The Italian center-back suffered an ACL injury back in November 2021 against Liverpool. Unfortunately for the veteran defender, it required surgery, and we do not expect him to return until after the World Cup at the end of this calendar year.
Starting XI Prediction
Lukasz Fabianski will return to the goalkeepers’ position after sitting out the Europa League defeat. The Pole has been tremendous this season. He will need to be at his best to ensure West Ham doesn’t throw away such a promising season.
After going with a back three in recent matches, I think David Moyes will return to the more traditional back four against Norwich. Kurt Zouma and Craig Dawson will play as the two center-backs. Aaron Cresswell’s red card in the Europa League won’t affect his availability for this fixture. The set-piece master will start at left-back. At right-back, Ben Johnson starts after returning from injury against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Moyes will ask Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek to back up from their starts in the Europa League. I don’t think they’ll last the full 90 minutes, though. Expect to see mark Noble during this match. Croatian Nikola Vlasic starts ahead of Manuel Lanzini as the attacking central midfielder. The Argentine needs a rest.
I expect some rotation up front. Jarrod Bowen will need a rest after playing back to back 90 minutes. I think Andriy Yarmolenko and Said Benrahma will start as the wide attacking players. Michail Antonio starts as the number 9.
Stuey Predicts
Believe it or not, Norwich and West Ham have identical form lines over their last five fixtures in all competitions. I have no genuine faith in either side to pick up the win. So with that in mind, I am predicting a 1-1 draw in this one. A result that will just about guarantee West Ham doesn’t take part in Europa League football next year.
Stuart Kavanagh is an up-and-coming sports journalist from Melbourne, Australia. Along with being the owner of the sports and entertainment website thepyrrhic.com, he is also the co-host of the ‘After Extra Time’ podcast. Football mad, he is always down for debate and discussion at @stueyissickofit on Twitter.