Southampton vs Norwich Prediction & Betting Tips (18 March)

The Southampton Saints firmly believe in 6th place, held by Wrexham in order to participate in the playoffs for accession to the Premier League. This is clearly the objective for Southampton who are 3 points behind their main competitor Wrexham. Since January 17, no defeats to report for the local team, including in the FA Cup where they have just defeated Fulham in the 1/8 finals 0-1. Before this short success in the FA Cup, Southampton had caused a stir in the league by slamming a victory against Queens Park Rangers 5-0 and on the pitch at Sheffield Wed 1-3. Last weekend, the Saints recorded a 7th victory in the space of 10 games by beating Coventry, leader of the Championship 1-2.

For their part, Norwich are also in roaring form following their 4 victories in a row in the Championship against Sheffield Wed 2-0, Leicester 0-2, Sheffield United 2-1 and during the previous day for the reception of Preston 2-0. On the other hand, note the road trip in the FA Cup against Leeds 3-0. Casually, thanks to this good series in the championship, the Norfolk players returned to 12th place in the Championship, only 6 points behind their opponents of the day. 

For the Saints, the young replacement striker Jay Robinson (19 years old, 2 goals) remains injured and is out, just like Rasmussen, the Brazilians Leo Scienza (6 goals, 8 assists) and Welington (no goals since arriving at the club two years ago) and the excellent Ross Stewart (5 goals in 18 appearances) often on the floor in recent years. Japanese midfielder Kuryu Matsuki (3 goals, 1 assist in the Championship) and Flynn Downes (2 goals in the Championship) were the 2 scorers in the success against Coventry. We're more likely to expect Finn Azaz (9 goals, 6 assists) to make the difference. As a reminder, Armstrong (11 goals) took charge of Wolverhampton this winter.

 What's amazing about Norwich is their ability to win matches despite a crowded infirmary. The replacement goalkeeper Daniel Grimshwa, the defenders Harry Amass, Mahovo and Shane Duffy, the midfielders Mirko Topic, Jeffrey Schlupp, Pelle Mattsson (22 appearances in the Championship), Matej Jurasek (2 assists in the Championship) and Gabriel Forsyth (19 years old) as well as the attackers Crnac, Pape Amadou Diallo (ex-Metz), Jovon Makama (10 goals in the Championship), the young Danish starting striker Oscar Schwartau (3 goals, 1 assist in the Championship) and thunderous rookie Mohamed Toure (21 years old, 4 goals) are all injured. We add to this array of absences the departure of the excellent Sargent (7 goals, 3 assists in the Championship), who left to play in MLS (Toronto). 

• Summary: Southampton played against Norwich City in 1 matches this season. Currently, Southampton rank 7th, while Norwich City hold 12th position. Looking to compare the best-rated player on both teams? Sofascore's rating system assigns each player a specific rating based on numerous data factors.
• Referee: Lewis Smith
• Southampton Feedinco Rating: 6.86
• Norwich Feedinco Rating: 6.82