Stoke City vs Norwich: Who Will Be the First to Escape the Crisis?
On 1 September, Stoke City will host Norwich in Matchday 4 of the Championship. The match at the bet365 Stadium kicks off at 20:00 UK time. Before the start of the season, this fixture might have been expected to pit two ambitious sides against each other, but the situation now looks far more intriguing: both teams have made poor starts to the campaign, with Stoke finding themselves in a particularly difficult position.
The hosts are yet to pick up a single point. The Potters lost 2–1 at home to Swansea in the opening round, then suffered a 3–1 defeat to Southampton, before being dealt another painful blow by Wolves on 29 August, losing 4–1. Against Wolves, Stoke took the lead as early as the second minute through Sam Gallagher but were unable to hold on to their advantage. The hosts responded with four goals and comfortably saw the match out.
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And this is where things become particularly worrying. Stoke have scored just two goals in three rounds while conceding nine. That means the team are scoring fewer than one goal per game on average but conceding three. For a club hoping to spend the season competing in the upper half of the table, it has been a disastrous start.
The defence, in particular, has raised plenty of questions. Even when Stoke score first, the team do not look capable of controlling the game. The match at Molineux demonstrated this perfectly: the early goal should have provided an excellent platform for a positive result, but by the 22nd minute Wolves had turned the game around with two goals from Rodrigo Gomes. After the break, Wolves scored twice more.
Norwich's situation is far from ideal either. The Canaries lost their opening two league matches, going down 2–1 at home to West Bromwich Albion before suffering a 3–0 defeat away to Millwall. Ahead of their Matchday 3 fixture against Burnley, the team were sitting 23rd with zero points and a goal difference of 1–5.
However, Norwich have reasons for optimism. In the Carabao Cup, the team first thrashed MK Dons 4–1 before beating Cardiff 2–1. In other words, Philippe Clement's side have already shown in cup matches that they can score goals and get results. Now they need to carry that confidence into the league.
Another interesting factor is the fixture schedule. Norwich host Burnley on 29 August before travelling to Stoke almost immediately afterwards. The visitors therefore face a demanding spell with two matches in the space of just a few days. For Stoke, meanwhile, the meeting with Norwich represents an opportunity to finally halt their poor run and give their own supporters something to celebrate.
Motivation also deserves special attention. After three consecutive defeats, the pressure on Mark Robins and his players will only continue to grow. Another setback could turn a disappointing start into a full-blown crisis. The hosts therefore need to sort out their defensive problems above all else. Scoring two or three goals will not be enough if the team continue conceding three or four on a regular basis.
Norwich will also understand the importance of this fixture. If the Canaries can take advantage of their opponents' problems, they will have an excellent opportunity to finally get their first points of the league campaign.
On paper, the match looks extremely difficult to predict. Both teams are under pressure, both need a victory, and neither defence has inspired much confidence so far. We can therefore reasonably expect open football and several dangerous moments at both ends.
For Stoke, this is no longer just another league match. It is an opportunity to prove that conceding nine goals in three games was merely a poor start rather than a sign of deeper problems. Norwich, meanwhile, must show that their two league defeats do not reflect the team's true potential. All in all, we are in for a genuine battle for the first points of the season.
My prediction: Both teams to score — yes.
