Norwich City vs Brentford
Friday 22 December
Carrow Road, 7.45pm
Sky Bet Championship
The Opposition
After a summer overhaul which included a new coaching team, eight arrivals, and nine departures, the pressure is starting to mount on Head Coach Daniel Farke. Just one win in ten in all competitions going into tonight's game has The Canaries down in 16th position in the Sky Bet Championship, ten points off the top six.
Goals have been the big problem for City. They have netted just 21 times in 22 league games, with only 11 of them coming at home. Only four players have found the net on multiple occasions this campaign while top scorer Nelson Oliveira has scored just six times. At the other end of the pitch, The Canaries are also without a clean sheet in their last ten.
Team News
Norwich's search for goals tonight won't be helped by the absence of both Wes Hoolahan and Cameron Jerome. Hip and back injuries respectively mean the pair join long-term absentees Matt Jarvis, Remi Matthews and Louis Thompson in the treatment room. However, captain Ivo Pinto is expected to overcome a hamstring issue to be fit with James Husband and Jamal Lewis also targeting a return.
For The Bees, Josh Clarke will miss out after picking up a knock in Saturday's draw against Barnsley. Henrik Dalsgaard faces a race to be fit in time for tonight's game while Alan Judge continues to work his way back to full-fitness. There's better news up front as Lasse Vibe is available for selection after recovering from the injury he picked up against Fulham.
The Manager
Daniel Farke took over at Carrow Road in the summer after two years as Head Coach of Borussia Dortmund II. Farke's playing career was dominated by three spells with SV Lippstadt 08, the club with whom he started his managerial career in 2009.
The 41-year-old spent six years with SV, earning back-to-back promotions from the Westfalenliga to the Regionalliga West, the fourth tier of German football. In 2015, Farke took over from Huddersfield-bound David Wagner at Borussia II, a position he held until May this year when he headed to East Anglia.
Pre-Match Views
Dean Smith looking forward to "mouth-watering" Christmas fixtures
Opposition View: David Freezer of the Norwich Evening News gives us the inside scoop on The Canaries
Ref Watch: Find out more about the man in charge for tonight's game
Stats Zone: Check out the facts and figures ahead of this evening's encounter
Moment in Time: Re-live our victorious trip to Carrow Road in January 1996
We Meet Again: Jota and Alex Pritchard score to give us the win in East Anglia in January 2015
Ticket News
More than 800 tickets have been sold for tonight's game and they are now off sale with no Pay on the Day at Carrow Road.
Match Coverage
iFollow Brentford will be live from 7.15pm tonight with Mark Burridge hosting Matchday Live alongside Simon Ratcliffe.
Download the Official Brentford FC App to get notifications direct to your phone, plus all the latest news, views and reaction from the game. Visit the Play Store or iTunes App Store now to download.