Boxing Day football is the best part of Christmas, right?
Well, it could be if Villa can manage to fashion a much needed home win over Norwich at Villa Park.
After a collapse in recent form, including an alarming defeat to Southampton, Dean Smith really needs to dig in and start delivering results.
A home win would serve to reassure us ahead of an equally huge fixture against Watford. A defeat? Then we must really begin to wonder where the victories are going to come from. A draw helps no-one.
NEWSLETTER
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KEY FACTS
- McGinn is out injured with a fractured ankle.
- Mings and Davis remain out and won’t feature at Villa Park.
- Both sides are on 5 match winless runs.
- Norwich have won just one of their last 13 fixtures.
- Villa beat Norwich 5-1 earlier this season at Carrow Road.
- Norwich haven’t won at VP in the Prem in 7 attempts.
- Villa are on a 4 match losing streak.
- Dean Smith has never lost 5 consecutive games in his career.
- We have also lost 3 of our last 4 at home.
- The Canaries haven’t won a point from a losing position this term.
- Villa haven’t won on Boxing Day in 9 attempts.
- Norwich Key Men: Todd Cantwell & Teemu Pukki
- Jack Grealish has been directly involved in the most Villa goals.
- League: Villa – 18th – 15 Points
- League: Norwich – 19th – 12 Points
- Kick off 3pm – 15:00 GMT
- Predicted Villa Side: Heaton; Guilbert, Engels, Hause, Targett; Hourihane, Douglas Luiz, Nakamba; Trezeguet, Wesley, Grealish.
- Predicted Norwich Side: Krul; Aarons, Zimmermann, Hanley, Byram; Tettey, Vrancic; Buendia, McLean, Cantwell; Pukki.
- Sources: BBC – Sky Sports – Squawka
PREDICTION
Aston Villa 3 – 1 Norwich City