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Norwich City have an excellent opportunity to move into the automatic promotion places tonight when they take on Bristol City at Carrow Road.
After a weekend where fellow promotion contenders dropped crucial points, the Canaries could move three points clear of 3rd place in the Championship if they record victory later this evening.
Everything is tight at the top this season, with several teams in the hunt to join Queens Park Rangers in the top two, so for Norwich to have a three point cushion with just nine games remaining would be very valuable for them.
Standing in their way is a Bristol City team with little to play for. They sit bang in the middle of the Championship, 13 points from both the relegation zone and the play-off positions.
They will want to finish the season strongly though and would love nothing better than to disrupt Norwich’s promotion push after the 3-0 defeat they suffered to them earlier in the season.
Keith Millen’s men will take encouragement from the Canaries recent home form, with Doncaster and Preston North End picking up points at Carrow Road in the last couple of weeks.
Bristol City have also found the goals flowing of late, with 16 goals in their last seven games, so they will give victory a go this evening. What have they got to lose?
All eyes will be on Norwich though as they look to avoid joining Cardiff, Swansea, Leeds, Nottingham Forest and Burnley in dropping vital promotion chasing points.
Nobody has grabbed hold of the second automatic promotion place of late, but Norwich have the chance to do just that this evening. They, along with QPR, could be the team to catch.
As far as team news is concerned, Norwich are likely to name the same team that defeated Leicester last time out, although on-loan Arsenal man Henri Lansbury will be pushing for a place in the team.
Bristol City will give late fitness tests to Steven Caulker and Liam Fontaine, but have no fresh injury concerns other than that.
There is no doubt that Norwich are favourites for this one, but with their recent habit of dropping points at home and the way in which the top teams in this division keep slipping up, anything could happen at Carrow Road.
By Thomas Rooney
