On a November afternoon, Aston Villa will welcome newly promoted Norwich to Villa Park whilst hoping to give the visitors little chance of taking anything away from the encounter.

Problem may however arise given that Norwich are, by their very nature of how the play football, unlikely to cede three points that easily. In Paul Lambert, the Canaries have a manager who is clearly capable, and playing without fear.

It isn’t therefore beyond the realms of possibility that some Villa fans may look enviously at the away dugout, wondering what might be had Paul Lambert taken the job rather than Alex McLeish. Of course, such dreams should be treated as such because we are where we are.

Team News – Aston Villa

Barry Bannan returns to the squad following his suspension for drink driving. Bannan is not yet clear of the police enquiry, but the club have decided to include him whilst the police investigation concluded over the next two months.

Jermaine Jenas looks to make his debut after returning to training following thigh and calf issues that have kept him out of the team since his loan move from Tottenham Hotspur.

Other than that, Villa have a full complement of players to choose from barring Eric Lichaj who is out with a hip injury.

Team News – Norwich City

Norwich, by comparison, are missing four members of their squad in Elliot Elliott Ward (knee), Zak Whitbread (hamstring), Daniel Ayala (knee) and James Vaughan (knee) due to injury.

Other than these injuries though, Paul Lambert has no new injury concerns, and will be hoping to kick on after a home draw vs Blackburn Rovers last weekend.

Statistics

The following statistics are provided by Opta.

The four Premier League meetings between Norwich and Aston Villa at Villa Park have seen two draws and one win apiece.

Norwich have only lost one of their last six league games (three wins, two draws).

The Villans have only failed to score in two of their last 13 Premier League games at Villa Park.

The Canaries are one of two PL teams (with Blackburn) yet to keep a clean sheet this term.

Aston Villa have lost more points from winning positions than any other team in the Premier League this season (nine).

Villa have only hit the woodwork once this season, fewer than any other side.

Marc Albrighton has been used from the bench more times than any other player this season (nine).

The Canaries have conceded a league-high five penalties this term.

Stilian Petrov has made more interceptions than any other Premier League player this season (39).

Aston Villa have only lost one of their last nine league home games, though that was their last fixture at Villa Park (1-2 v West Brom).

Latest Odds

Aston Villa 5/6, Norwich 7/2, Draw 5/2.

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