Norwich v Manchester United predictions: Visitors should keep Canaries quiet

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Norwich v Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Premier League & Main Event, 5.30pm Saturday

Best bet

Manchester United to win to nil
1pt 6-4 Betfair

Team news

Norwich
Mathias Normann (pelvis) misses out again and United loanee Brandon Williams is ineligible. Milot Rashica, Sam Byram and Christoph Zimmermann are out and Dean Smith is waiting on the results of a couple of Covid-19 tests.

Manchester United
Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial are sidelined. Raphael Varane, Edinson Cavani, Nemanja Matic and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are doubts.

Match preview

Manchester United's last trip to a promoted side led to the downfall of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but punters should not expect any such problems for new Red Devils gaffer Ralf Rangnick at Norwich.

Solskjaer was ditched following an atrocious 4-1 dismantling by Watford at Vicarage Road at the end of last month, and United have gone five matches unbeaten since then.

The last two of those were under Rangnick, a fairly uninspiring 1-0 win over Crystal Palace and then a 1-1 Champions League draw against Young Boys in which we learned little more than that the United academy looks in good shape.

Already, though, just two games into his reign, Rangnick has changed tactics, changed approach and instilled a sense of organisation into a group, which Solskjaer manifestly struggled to do.

The upshot is that United should become appreciably tougher to break down and will be pencilling in a trip to Carrow Road as a potential win with a clean sheet. Punters might want to do likewise.

Norwich boss Dean Smith revealed on Friday that two unidentified players were training alone due to Covid concerns and the excellent Matthias Normann is sidelined, which adds to the belief that United should win with something to spare.

Granted, the Red Devils are not quite the road force they were last season, when they chalked up 12 away victories and no losses. But they have already won at Wolves, West Ham, Spurs and Villarreal, drawing at Southampton, Atalanta and Chelsea, and the Canaries are not in the class of those seven clubs.

There is little value in United at around 1-2, or even to win the second half at 3-4, something they have done five times on their travels. Eleven of their 16 road goals have come after the break.

But the win to nil looks preferable given the sense that United look better organised under Rangnick in just a week at Old Trafford than they were in months under Solskjaer. And, of course, Norwich are hopeless in front of goal.

They have had the fewest shots on target of any side in the top flight – 44 – and have scored just eight times. If five-goal Teemu Pukki has an off day then it's desperately hard to see Norwich getting on the scoresheet at all.

United have no such issues, the only conundrum concerning Rangnick being how best to deploy his abundant riches at the attacking end.

Smith played a back five at Tottenham last week and it didn't work, although Norwich weren't awful in a 3-0 loss. They can keep the ball but just do not seem capable of hurting sides and that suggests United are a solid bet to win without conceding.

Key stat

Manchester United have scored in the second half in each of their last seven away matches.

Inside info

Norwich

Penalty taker Teemu Pukki

Free-kick wizard Billy Gilmour

Aerial threats Grant Hanley, Ben Gibson

Card magnets Max Aarons, Pierre Lees-Melou

Manchester United

Penalty takers Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes

Free-kick wizards Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes

Aerial threats Harry Maguire

Card magnets Luke Shaw, Scott McTominay

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