Norwich City v Manchester City, Premier League: Preview and Probable Teams

Follow live coverage of Norwich City v Manchester City in the Premier League here

Norwich City welcome champions Manchester City to Carrow Road in the Premier League this weekend, with both sides struggling to stem a poor run of form.

Where to Watch

Kick-off is set for 3pm GMT. You can watch highlights on Match of the Day on BBC One and BBC One HD at 10.30 pm GMT. Live match commentary is available on BBC Radio 5 Live from 3pm GMT.

Overview

Both teams have suffered three defeats in their last five matches and are desperate to get out of the rough patch. Norwich rose to seventh in the league but two back-to-back losses this week, to West Brom and Chelsea, have pegged them back. However, despite the defeats the Canaries are still 11th - a very respectable position midway through Chris Hughton's first season in charge.

Meanwhile, Roberto Mancini's side were beaten by Sunderland on Boxing Day - City's third successive 1-0 loss at the Stadium of Light. With rivals Manchester United, who beat them 3-2 at the Etihad earlier this month, posting a dramatic 4-3 win against Newcastle United, the defending champions now trail the Red Devils by seven points. The trip to Carrow Road is therefore of great importance to the Etihad club.

City beat Norwich 6-1 in the same fixture in April, with Carlos Tevez scoring a hat-trick in his second start, following his return from exile.

Team Form

Norwich City

• Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): L L W L W
• Last Match: Norwich City 0 - 1 Chelsea

Manchester City

• Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): L L W W L
• Last Match: Sunderland 1 - 0 Manchester City

Team News

Norwich City: Hughton has no fresh injury concerns or suspension worries going into this tie. In fact, defender Steven Whittaker (hip) and midfielder Andrew Surman (knee) both have an outside chance of returning to the line-up. However, Canaries' No 1 John Ruddy (thigh) remains sidelined, with deputy Mark Bunn set to continue between the posts.

Probable Starting Line-up: (4-4-1-1) Bunn; Martin, Turner, Bassong, Garrido; Snodgrass, Tettey, Johnson, Pilkington; Hoolahan; Holt

Manchester City: Gael Clichy (knock), Aleksandar Kolarov (leg) and Samir Nasri (groin) are all doubtful for the Citizens as they visit Carrow Road. Controversy king Mario Balotelli is unlikely to feature, while Micah Richards (knee) and Jack Rodwell (hamstring) remain long-term absentees.

Probable Starting Line-up: (4-4-2) Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, K Toure, Nastasic; Milner, Garcia, Y Toure, Silva; Tevez, Aguero