A fresh campaign gets underway at Carrow Road on Saturday, with Norwich City and West Bromwich Albion facing off in their EFL Championship season opener. Both teams will be keen to get off to a winning start and lay down an early marker.
After a 13th-place finish during the 2024-25 campaign, Norwich appointed former Bristol City head coach Liam Manning as the new boss heading into last season. However, the appointment quickly went awry, with Manning relieved of his duties within five months.
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Philippe Clement took over the role in November with the Canaries sat in 23rd place at the time of his arrival. The Belgian did a commendable job of turning things around in Norwich, guiding the side to ninth place by the end of the campaign and will now be aiming to oversee a playoff push this term.
Norwich marked their return to competitive action on a positive note, thrashing MK Dons 4-1 in the Carabao Cup first round last weekend and will be in high spirits ahead of their league opener on Saturday.
West Bromwich Albion endured their worst campaign last season since dropping to the second tier five years ago, with relegation a credible threat at various points of the campaign.
Ryan Mason and Eric Ramsay both held the role of head coach but failed to make the desired impact. However, former midfielder James Morrison ultimately turned out to be the Baggies’ saviour, overseeing just two defeats in their final 12 matches to secure safety.
Like their hosts, West Brom recorded a 4-1 win in the domestic cup last weekend, seeing off Rotherham United.
Norwich City vs West Bromwich Albion Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- These two teams met three times across all competitions last season, with Norwich winning the latter two encounters by an aggregate scoreline of 8-1.
- The Canaries have lost just one of their last eight competitive games at Carrow Road, falling 2-0 to promoted Ipswich Town in April.
- Only last-placed Sheffield Wednesday (17) lost more games on the road last season than West Brom (14).
- West Brom edged Blackburn Rovers 1-0 on the opening day last season, while Norwich lost 2-1 to Millwall.
Norwich City vs West Bromwich Albion Prediction
We are backing Norwich to triumph on Saturday, with their home advantage and superior quality likely to prove too much for West Brom, although we expect the Baggies to put up a fight and keep the contest close.
Prediction: Norwich City 2-1 West Bromwich Albion
Norwich City vs West Bromwich Albion Betting Tips
Tip 1 – Result: Norwich City to win
Tip 2 – Goals – Over/under 2.5 – Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3 – Both teams to score: Yes
Edited by Peter Pedroncelli