Norwich V Everton at Carrow Road - Match Preview




Holt set to return

Norwich captain Grant Holt is fit and ready to face Everton when the Toffees travel to Carrow Road on Saturday.

Holt missed the Canaries' 0-0 draw with Fulham due to a back problem but is ready to return as Norwich search for a first Barclays Premier League win in nine games.

Manager Chris Hughton has minor doubts over Alexander Tettey and Andrew Surman but both should be in contention, with only goalkeeper John Ruddy (thigh) absent.

Hughton knows Norwich are going to have to be a bit more creative if they are to get the results needed to stay in the Barclays Premier League.

The Canaries, who hold a six-point cushion over the bottom three, head into the game having lost just once in the last five league games.

However, four of those have been draws - and the last two goalless. Indeed, Hughton's men have scored just once in six outings, including a blank in their shock home FA Cup fourth-round defeat to Luton.

The Norwich manager accepts that will have to change if his men are to keep safe distance over the battle for survival.

"We have looked solid as a unit and I can't fault the lads' work ethic. Everybody is putting in a real shift for the team," said Hughton, whose side last won on December 15 against Wigan.

"But we perhaps just need to be that little bit more creative, we certainly need to be taking our chances and perhaps need to be a bit more of a threat in the final third.

"At points this season our attacking play has been good, but for a club like ours it is difficult to sustain that week-in-week-out in this league," said Hughton, who took his squad away to Abu Dhabi for some warm-weather training during their two-week break in Premier League action.

"There will be ups and downs. You just have to hope that when you get the good period you get the points to go with it.

"We need to make sure that the gap that we have had between ourselves and the bottom three is something we can maintain.

"We now have 12 games through until the end of the season, we perhaps need to start turning some of our draws into wins.

"It goes without saying most people look at that 40 point mark, and that is achievable."

Everton striker Victor Anichebe is a doubt.

Anichebe's condition will be assessed after he came off at half-time in last Saturday's 2-2 FA Cup fifth-round draw at Oldham having picked up a knock.

Defender Seamus Coleman, who has been sidelined by a thigh problem, is back in training but it remains to be seen whether or not he will be involved in the Canaries match.

Everton, winners only once in their last five league matches, face a Norwich side who have gone nine top-flight fixtures without registering a victory.

The 14th-placed Canaries were on a 10-game unbeaten run before that, and Moyes thinks their record shows how fine the margins are in the Premier League.

"There is very little (difference) between when Norwich were winning their games early on, and where they are just now," the Scot said.

"I think it can simply be maybe a centre-forward not scoring when he was doing it in the early part of the season, or a simple goalkeeping mistake changing a game.

"The games are so tight and there is very little between the teams."


Source: PA

Source: PA