THE OPPOSITION
The only way is up for Norwich City as they arrive in TW8 winless and propping up the Premier League table.
A cruel early fixture list which started with Liverpool, Manchester City, Leicester City, and Arsenal in their first four put The Canaries on the back foot early on and they have been trying to recover ever since.
Daniel Farke's side do appear to have become more solid in recent weeks. Their seven-goal thumping by Chelsea aside, The Canaries have conceded just twice in three games, keeping a pair of clean sheets in draws against Burnley and Brighton and Hove Albion.
Going forward they have found the net just three times this term, failing to score in seven of their ten league outings. Teemu Pukki (above) has two Premier League goals to his name with defender Andrew Omobamidele popping up with the other.
In terms of personnel at Carrow Road, the big changes have come in midfield this season. The summer saw Championship Player of the Year Emi Buendia move on to Aston Villa while Mario Vrancic joined Stoke City and Oliver Skipp returned to Tottenham at the end of his loan. In their place, Chelsea loanee Billy Gilmour has made just four appearances since joining while Todd Cantwell hasn't been in a matchday squad since September.
THE GAMEPLAN
When asked for Hot Off The Press, Connor Southwell of the Eastern Daily Press, said: "[Daniel Farke] has changed his formation in each of the last three games, so it is difficult to guess. Against Leeds it was a three at the back out of possession and a four in possession, which was interesting. In terms of style, most Norwich fans want to see them go back to the way they played last year and to keep the ball a bit more, but it has been a different approach. They have been a lot more physical, which has come at the cost of a little bit of quality, to be honest. They are more direct than last year and that’s noticeable when you watch them play, but it’s difficult to pinpoint how they are going to play because confidence is so low.
"What you can say about the Leeds game and the last half-hour, which was pretty abject, is that before that, they were spirited and there was a lot of energy. No one is questioning their hard work, it’s more a quality issue at the moment. Brentford fans can expect to come up against a side that works hard and, in terms of application, is pretty solid. It’s just a case of whether Norwich can keep them out for 90 minutes, I would say"
TEAM NEWS
Kristoffer Ajer (hamstring) joins Josh Dasilva (hip), Mads Bech, David Raya (both knee), Yoane Wissa (ankle), and Shandon Baptiste (shoulder) in missing tomorrow's game. Vitaly Janelt returned to action at Burnley last weekend following a quad injury while Bryan Mbeumo will be assessed to see if he can start tomorrow.
Grant Hanley will miss the game with a groin issue. There is also a question mark over Ozan Kabak, who is struggling with glandular fever. Christoph Zimmermann is still out, however Ben Gibson is now available again following his suspension. Sam Byram is still making progress in training but not is in contention for the game.
MATCH STATS
THE MANAGER
Daniel Farke took over at Carrow Road in the summer of 2017 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 45-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 at Borussia II, a position he held until he headed to East Anglia. He followed up a 14th-placed finish during his first season with the 2018/19 Championship crown, his third promotion in seven years. The Canaries kept faith with Farke following their subsequent Premier League relegation and he rewarded them with an instant return to the top flight, as runaway Champions, in May.
THE OPPOSITION VIEW
Max Aarons told canaries.co.uk: “One thing about this group, we’ll never get too disheartened or too down with any result. We know at this level, anything can happen on any day. It’s now about us getting those first three points of the season.
“I think once we get those three points, we’ll really kick on. It’s important we get that this weekend against Brentford. That’ll put us on five points and we’ll be back in and around it.”
THOMAS THOUGHTS
THE OFFICIALS
Referee: Jarred Gillett
Assistant Referees: Ian Hussin and Wade Smith
Fourth Official: Martin Atkinson
VAR: Lee Mason
Assistant VAR: Matthew Wilkes
Norwich City 2021/22
87 fouls – 18th in Sky Bet Championship
17 yellow cards – 11th in Sky Bet Championship
1 red cards – Joint-Most in Sky Bet Championship
MATCHDAY INFO
Saturday's game will be our first since the central London Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) was expanded and it may affect our supporters travelling to the stadium this weekend.
Check to see if you are affected
Get to the ground early on matchday and enjoy big savings on food and drink inside the stadium.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Our game against The Canaries is not being shown live in the UK so the only way for domestic fans to follow all the action live is to listen on BeesPlayer
Joining Mark Burridge will be Karleigh Osborne and Charlotte Tanner.
For fans around the world, the game is being shown live through the Premier League's broadcast partners. Click here to see if the game is on where you are.