Seeking to extend a three-game winning streak across all competitions, Norwich City prepare to welcome Crystal Palace to Selhurst Park for Wednesday's Premier League battle.
The Canaries edged past Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 in the FA Cup at the weekend, while Patrick Vieira's side saw off Hartlepool United 2-0 to reach the fifth round.
Match preview
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The dismal days of Daniel Farke's reign during the opening stages of the 2021-22 season now seems like an eternity ago, with Dean Smith weaving his magic at Carrow Road to oversee four victories from his last five in charge of Norwich.
Two weeks on from a Joshua Sargent-inspired victory over Watford at Vicarage Road - which triggered the dismissal of Claudio Ranieri - Norwich dumped Wolves out of the FA Cup on their own turf, with Kenny McLean heading home the game's only goal on the stroke of half time.
Norwich will need nothing short of a miracle to keep their cup run going against Liverpool next month, and there is still plenty of work for the Canaries to do to secure their top-flight status for another year, even if they have risen to 17th in the rankings.
Newcastle United and Watford both sit just one point behind Smith's side having played a game fewer, but back-to-back Premier League wins over Everton and Watford have set the Canaries up well for the imminent relegation dogfight.
However, not since 2012 have Norwich managed to string together a three-game winning run in the top flight, and a tally of seven goals scored at home remains the worst in the division, with Smith's side failing to score in four at Carrow Road before putting two past Everton last month.
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Plenty of giant killings were either enacted or threatened during the fourth round of the FA Cup, but Crystal Palace ensured that they would not be humiliated by lower-league opposition in front of their own supporters by seeing off League Two's Hartlepool United.
First-half strikes from Marc Guehi and Michael Olise propelled Patrick Vieira's side into round five, where a very winnable home clash against Stoke City awaits, and that 2-0 win will be welcomed with open arms amid a sticky patch in the Premier League.
Palace threatened to make a game of it against Liverpool before a highly controversial penalty killed any hopes of a comeback last month, and having now taken just one point from their last three in the top flight, the Eagles now occupy 13th spot in the table after 22 games.
Vieira's side should comfortably stave off the threat of relegation while challenging for an unlikely top-half ranking in the coming months, but having failed to win in five on the road and scoring only once in their last four away games, Norwich will certainly sense an opportunity here.
That being said, Palace needed no second invitation to sweep Norwich aside 3-0 on December 28, which made it six games unbeaten for the Eagles in the Premier League against this week's hosts since a 1-0 defeat at Carrow Road in the 2013-14 season.
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Team News
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Norwich striker Sargent was forced to pull out of the squad to face Wolves at the last minute due to illness, and Smith is not sure if the American will be fit to lead the line in midweek.
The hosts should welcome Lukas Rupp and Andrew Omobamidele back to the fold from thigh and back injuries respectively, but Ozan Kabak, Tim Krul and Jakob Sorensen all remain absent.
Angus Gunn ought to return in goal for the hosts as 37-year-old Michael McGovern drops out, while there should also be recalls for Teemu Pukki and Max Aarons here.
As for Crystal Palace, Wilfried Zaha was granted more time off following his Africa Cup of Nations exploits with the Ivory Coast but should make his return to the attack on Wednesday night.
Cheikhou Kouyate, meanwhile, may not return just yet as he celebrates becoming AFCON champion with Senegal, but Vieira has been boosted by the returns of James Tomkins and James McArthur to full team training.
Olise will not cede his place in the attack easily after bagging a goal and assist against Hartlepool in the cup, but Odsonne Edouard and Jordan Ayew are both ready to provide fresh legs in the final third.
Norwich City possible starting lineup:
Gunn; Aarons, Hanley, Gibson, Williams; McLean, Gilmour, Lees Melou; Sargent, Pukki, Rashica
Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:
Guaita; Ward, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell; Hughes, Gallagher, Schlupp; Olise, Edouard, Zaha
We say: Norwich City 2-2 Crystal Palace
Norwich appear to have turned a corner in recent weeks and should feel capable of breaching this shaky Palace backline more than once, but the visitors' attacking talent cannot be questioned.
The emergence of Olise and expected return of Zaha will also contribute to what ought to be an enthralling affair at Carrow Road - one that we expect to end all square with plenty of goalmouth action.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Crystal Palace win with a probability of 38.02%. A win for Norwich City had a probability of 33.86% and a draw had a probability of 28.1%.
The most likely scoreline for a Crystal Palace win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.74%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (7.96%) and 0-2 (7.09%). The likeliest Norwich City win was 1-0 (10.92%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.18%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 13.2% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole correctly predicted a draw in this match.
