Man City are regarded as the favourites by many to successfully defend their Premier League title this season, but there is no getting away from the fact that it has been a difficult August for the club thus far.
A proposed deal for Harry Kane appears to be no closer to going through, while Pep Guardiola’s side have suffered 1-0 defeats to Leicester City and Tottenham in their two competitive matches this season.
Indeed, the Foxes beat the English champions in the Community Shield on August 7, before Tottenham ran out 1-0 winners in the Premier League last Sunday courtesy of a second-half effort from Son Heung-min, meaning that there is already pressure on the Citizens to put three points on the board.
Man City’s need for a new striker was shown in the defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and the club will soon enter a difficult run of fixtures, taking on Arsenal, Leicester, Chelsea and Liverpool in four of their five matches after this weekend’s contest with Daniel Farke’s team.
Guardiola’s side thumped Norwich 5-0 when the two teams last locked horns at the Etihad Stadium in July 2020, but the Canaries did record a 3-2 win over Man City at Carrow Road in September 2019.
Norwich’s start to the 2021-22 Premier League season could not have been much more difficult considering that they opened against Liverpool and are now preparing to take on Man City.
It is not as if it gets much easier, though, as Farke’s side are due to face Leicester in their final match of August before opening September away to Arsenal, and it could be a tough season if the promoted side are unable to put some points on the board in their opening four matches.
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Norwich started brightly against Liverpool last weekend but conceded once in the first half and twice in the second half, as the Reds recorded a 3-0 victory at Carrow Road.
The Canaries will know that their home form will be crucial if they are to stay in the top flight this season, but they did record a 3-2 victory away to Man City as recent as 2013, and it might be a good time to take on the champions considering their issues in the early stages of the new campaign.
Farke’s team also had the best away record in the Championship last season, picking up 49 points from 23 matches, recording 15 wins and suffering just four defeats, which are impressive statistics
