Norwich City

Burnley can steal a march on their promotion rivals with a point at home to Norwich enough to send them top of the Championship table ahead of the weekend games.

Norwich know only a win would keep alive their slim chances of gatecrashing the top six.

• Burnley have won their past three league games against Norwich City, last winning four in succession against the Canaries between 2006 and 2007.

• Norwich City have won just one of their 20 away league games against Burnley (D4 L15), failing to score in 14 of those matches at Turf Moor.

• Burnley have kept 29 clean sheets in their 41 Championship games this season. They are now just one clean sheet away from matching the all-time seasonal Football League record of 30, set by Port Vale in the 1953-54 third division north.

• Since defeating Derby 3-2 in September, Norwich have won just two of their past 16 away league games (D6 L8) – 1-0 victories against Luton and Watford.

• Burnley have been involved in 12 goalless draws in the Championship this season; only Blackpool in 1974-75 (13) have ever had more 0-0s in a single Football League season.

Norwich City right-back Kellan Fisher says the side were concentrating on not conceding during their goalless draw with Sunderland on Tuesday.

The Canaries had lost three of their previous four matches, including a 2-1 defeat by bottom side Plymouth Argyle at the weekend.

"I think it was important just coming in and not losing," Fisher told BBC Radio Norfolk.

"We got it right - the attacking balance and we had enough numbers behind when we did lose the ball."

The stalemate was enough to see Sunderland secure themselves a play-off place. But the Canaries' play-off chances look slim.

Seven points separate Norwich and the top six, with just five games left to play.

"I think we all know we are good enough to be in or around the play-offs, and personally I think we should," Fisher added.

"I think we've showed this season we are a great team, we are free flowing and playing good football."

Listen to the full post-match reaction and more on The Scrimmage podcast.

Image source, Getty Images

Norwich head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup felt his team had done enough to earn a victory over Sunderland after they were held to a goalless draw.

"We hoped for a win and did more than enough, especially in the first half, to get it. I'm pleased with our first-half dominance. We didn't allow one shot and we created enough to score," the Canaries head coach told BBC Radio Norfolk.

"I'm not satisfied that we didn't convert some of those moments into goals, and the second half was a little bit more open and they were probably a little bit on top in the last 10 minutes.

"We have been talking a lot about [clean sheets] this season and what it takes to do that away from home and against the better teams in the league, and what it takes to convert those chances into more goals, so there's a lot of work to do in the future.

"But I'm pleased with the overall attitude of the players."

"You've got to look at it from where we've come from, which is a team that really tried to establish themselves in the Premier League and failed miserably on several occasions.

"But we are the most yo-yo club out of all the teams in England, so two or three years [to win promotion] is a long wait for Norwich fans.

"You need to be looking at next year being competitive in those play-offs."

BBC Radio Norwich's Rob Butler says the Canaries have to push for a top six finish next season.

He's joined by Chris Reeve as they reflect on the Plymouth defeat, discuss what the future holds for Norwich and look ahead to the Sunderland game on Tuesday (19:45 BST).

Listen to the latest episode of the The Scrimmage podcast on BBC Sounds.

Norwich City host Sunderland on Tuesday (19:45 BST) in a bid to gain some ground in the play-off race.

A run of lacklustre results has left the Canaries eight points adrift of the top six, winning just one of their past six league matches (D2 L3).

While, the Black Cats are as many points behind a place in the automatic promotion spots but recent form may have them feeling there's an outside chance of stealing one away after two successive league wins.

• Norwich have lost three of their last four league games against Sunderland (W1), as many as their previous 11 beforehand (W5 D3 L3).

• After their 2-1 win in December, Sunderland could record a first league double over Norwich City since 1984-85 in the top-flight under Len Ashurst.

• Norwich's home games in the Championship this season have seen 72 goals (45 for, 27 against) at an average of 3.6 per game. Only in 1962-63 (4.1) and 2018-19 (3.7) have their home matches produced a higher average over a league campaign.

• Sunderland are unbeaten in their last 11 midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league games (W5 D6) since a 0-1 defeat to Leicester City in March 2024.

• Norwich's Josh Sargent has scored in both of his two league starts against Sunderland, netting in August 2022 and March 2024.

Rob Butler
BBC Radio Norfolk Canary Call presenter

Image source, Getty Images

Norwich City's slim hopes of making the Championship play-offs took a huge dent on Saturday as they were beaten at bottom club Plymouth.

On Tuesday, the Canaries are back at Carrow Road to host Sunderland (19:45 BST), who are almost guaranteed to finish in the top six.

Ahead of the game, City head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup has been speaking to the media.

Here are some of the key points:

• After the game against Plymouth, on-loan Manchester City midfielder Jacob Wright said he wanted to make his move to the club permanent in the summer. Thorup says no decisions have been made but the Canaries are in a "strong position" to sign him.

• After winger Matej Jurasek missed the Plymouth game with a quad injury, Thorup says he is not sure when he will be available again. "I would love to bring him in and give him some playing minutes." Thorup says there is hope that Jurasek could still play a part in this campaign.

• Defender Lucien Mahovo is still absent, he now has a knee injury.

• Midfielder Liam Gibbs should be "around the squad" for the Sunderland game after being out injured since November.

• Thorup wants to see his team become more effective from set-pieces. "We have scored more than 60 goals this season and only three of them have come from corner kicks, this should be close to 20," he said.

• Thorup said that clear objectives were set in recent meetings with the club owners in the US. He says he fully believes the team will be where it should be in six months.

You can listen to full live commentary of Norwich City v Sunderland with BBC Radio Norfolk FM and DAB from 19:00 BST on Tuesday.

Image source, Rex Features

Norwich City head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup says he is unhappy with how his side defended in their 2-1 loss at struggling Plymouth Argyle.

The defeat by the Championship's bottom side leaves the Canaries in 11th place, eight points off the play-off places with six games to play.

"It sums up our weakness as a team - and that's to defend all those situations where the ball is brought into the box from the opposition, second ball situations, third ball situations we really, really struggle as a team to defend that," he told BBC Radio Norfolk:

"It tells a bit of a story because up until the first goal we have the control of the game exactly as we want, we created an amount of situations in the box and had a couple of crosses where were very close to getting a foot or head to it.

"Then it's probably the first situation around our goal and they score a goal, and that's been the story of the season.

"I'm tired that our defensive line cannot keep troubles away."

Plymouth's battle for Championship survival continues with the visit of play-off chasing Norwich to Home Park on Saturday (15:00 BST).

Basement-boys Argyle are effectively eight points from safety, such is their inferior goal difference, with seven games remaining after Derby's win over Preston on Wednesday night.

The Canaries' last-gasp win over West Brom on Saturday took them back into the top-10 and within five points of the play-off spots.

• Plymouth Argyle have lost five of their past six league games against Norwich, winning the other 6-2 at Home Park last season.

• Norwich won 6-1 earlier this campaign against Plymouth at Carrow Road. The last time the Canaries scored 10 league goals against an opponent in a season was against Millwall in 2014-15 (10).

• Across their past 13 home games in all competitions, Plymouth's only clean sheet came against current Premier League leaders Liverpool in a 1-0 FA Cup win in February.

• Of Norwich's last 36 Championship goals, only six have them been scored away from home. Just 26% of their goals have been scored on the road (16/61) with only Plymouth scoring a lower percentage away (8/40, 20%).

• Josh Sargent has scored nine goals in his past 11 Championship appearances for Norwich and overall he's scored 42 in 93 games at this level – the only Canaries player with more since 2004-05 is Teemu Pukki (65).

Image source, PA Media

Norwich City head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup has been speaking to the media ahead of the trip to Plymouth on Saturday (15:00 BST).

The Canaries are five points behind the Championship play-off spots in 10th. Here are some of the key points from Thorup's press conference:

• On the race to try and reach the top six: "We still know there is a very, very hard and difficult job to do to make it even more realistic but it starts with the next game."

• Thorup continued: "We definitely believe in ourselves because we think we are a good team and when we are at our best, we should be a team that can compete for play-off positions. Now we're in a little bit more difficult position but it's just a challenge and we are up for that."

• There are no fresh injury concerns following the 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion.

• Matej Jurasek continues to improve his strength and conditioning work to be Championship ready after missing five games with a thigh strain before returning to the bench last weekend.

• Manchester City loanee Callum Doyle remains at Carrow Road despite suffering an injury. It's hoped he will be able to play a part in the final few games of the season.

• Thorup praised goalkeeper Angus Gunn's performance on Saturday. He said: "The two moments in the game we really needed him - he was there."

• On bottom side Plymouth, Thorup says he's expecting a team who are very difficult to break down: "It's for us to find the right balance so we can make good chances."

• "Now it's clear who's fighting to stay in the league so it will not be an easy game for us," said Thorup.

• On the fans making the journey: "I was impressed even in pre-season with the amount of fans who travel to see us. It's impressive. Every time we play away we try and give them something to shout about and we appreciate them."

You can listen to full live coverage of Plymouth v Norwich on BBC Radio Norfolk from 14:00 BST on Saturday.

Did you get caught out by a football-based April Fools' joke today?

Chris Goreham and Rob Butler bring you some classic pranks, including the time a Milk Cup winner said the Wembley final would have to be replayed.

Listen to The Scrimmage podcast on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Getty Images

Norwich City forward Josh Sargent says he is not "definitely leaving" at the end of the season.

The USA international scored a 92nd-minute winner against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday as the Canaries ended a four-game winless run to keep alive their Championship play-off hopes and then looked to calm talk of an imminent exit from Carrow Road.

"It's my favourite goal of the season so far - just for the timing of it against a good opponent and it's the most relief I've had scoring a goal this season for sure," Sargent told BBC Radio Norfolk.

The 25-year-old is under contract until 2028 but has been linked with a move to the Premier League and also a potential reunion with former Norwich boss Daniel Farke at Leeds.

"I have a contract here at Norwich. I'm very happy, my family is very happy here so it's no way saying I'm gone," said Sargent.

"I'm very happy with the manager and the team. I was just trying to say there will be options but that's not to say I'm definitely leaving - that's a decision for my family and me to make and obviously the club has to agree to me leaving in the first place."

"Are you talking about football data down the pub with your mates?"

Rob Butler and Chris Reeve are joined by Norwich City fans Richard Lain-Smith and Will Graver to discuss the rise in prominence of data in football.

There is also a look ahead to the Canaries' trip to Plymouth on Saturday as the panel are joined by Argyle fan Aaron Hocking.

Plus, there's an interview with City striker Josh Sargent and the couple who got engaged on the pitch at Carrow Road.

Listen to The Scrimmage podcast on BBC Sounds.

Image source, BBC Radio Norfolk

There was a warm glow around Carrow Road on Saturday and it wasn't just because Norwich snatched a 1-0 win over West Brom to keep their play-off hopes intact.

At half-time, Jack Garwood was allowed onto the pitch on the pretext that he was to take part in a crossbar challenge - only to instead propose to girlfriend Brandis.

He used to live in Norfolk but they are now together in the state of Virginia in the USA.

"She had no idea it was going to happen. I have no idea how I kept it quiet but I managed to - I just want to shout out the club and say thank you for being so accommodating," Jack told BBC Radio Norfolk.

"I wasn't sure I'd be able to when I came up with the idea, but they were brilliant - what an afternoon."

Brandis was attending her first football match and said: "We were going out there and I thought 'do I have to kick this?' because I don't know how to kick a football.

"We've been together two-ish years but I was not expecting that right now."

Fortunately, she also said yes.

Image source, Getty Images

An injury to left-back Callum Doyle forced a tactical rethink by Norwich boss Johannes Hoff Thorup, which paid off with a dramatic 1-0 win over West Brom.

Doyle missed the game with a calf problem and the Dane opted for a back five instead of a four, with Kellen Fisher deputising down the left.

"Knowing that we will be without a left-back for probably the rest of the season was one of the reasons behind the different approach because last time we played against West Brom, (Tom) Fellows on the right side created problems for us," Thorup told BBC Radio Norfolk.

"When you decide to have a five in the backline instead of four, you probably lose a bit of intensity in the first line of your pressing game and that's what we had to accept and do what it takes to be compact as a team.

"At the end of the day, everyone just wants to see us win so we do what is necessary. Is it my favourite kind of football? No, 100% not - but I'm not that stubborn, not to do once in a while what it takes to get a result."

Asked about Doyle's injury, Thorup replied: "He's still with us, he's doing his rehab with us but he felt some pain after the Bristol (City) game and we scanned it and could see it was a calf injury.

"It's probably three to five weeks - if we are optimistic and it's three, then we can use him (again this season), but if it's the opposite, then his season can be over."

Norwich are next in action away to Plymouth Argyle next Saturday.

Norwich City are looking to end a four-match winless streak when they host West Bromwich Albion on Saturday (15:00 GMT)

The Baggies are going for a first away league win since 10 November.

• Norwich City have won just one of their past seven league games against West Brom (D3 L3), though that sole victory did come in this exact fixture last season (2-0).

• West Brom have won three of their past five away league games against Norwich City (D1 L1), with each of those victories coming via a one goal margin.

• Norwich have lost two of their past four home league games (W1 D1), as many defeats as across their prior 30 matches at Carrow Road combined (W18 D10).

• West Brom have failed to win any of their past 11 away league games (D7 L4), last enduring a longer winless run on their travels between September 2017 and March 2018 in the Premier League (15 games).

• West Brom's Adam Armstrong has struck four goals across seven prior Championship meetings with Norwich, with three of those coming across his two matches against the Canaries last season with Southampton.

Phil Daley
Radio Norfolk sports editor

Image source, Rex Features

Norwich City head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup has been speaking to the media ahead of the Canaries' home game against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Here are some of the key points from the press conference:

• Goalkeeper Angus Gunn is fit after missing three Championship matches before the international break. Full-back Lucien Mahovo remains out.

• "No new injuries from the players that were away on international duty and we had some good contact time with the players here," said Thorup.

• Thorup traveled to the USA during the international break to spend some time with majority shareholder Mark Attanasio.

• On leading scorer Borja Sainz, "if he makes it to 20 Championship goals I'm sure there will be plenty of interest in him. He will be very expensive though," added Thorup.

• January signing Matej Jurasek will also be around the matchday squad but will be used sparingly while he gets up to speed with Championship football.

• On Saturday's opponents West Brom, "they are a great team who can dominate a game and cause us trouble.

• "It's important we do everything to give the fans a good experience at the end of the season because we owe them that", said Thorup.

You can listen to full live coverage of Norwich City v West Brom on BBC Radio Norfolk on FM and DAB from 14:00 GMT on Saturday, 29 March.