Norwich v Wigan: Goal-shy game forecast for Norfolk

Norwich fail to fire

Norwich began life back in the Championship with a disappointing 1-0 defeat at Cardiff. Romaine Sawyers delivered the fatal blow with a swerving shot just after the interval, whilst both sides ended the contest with 10 men after both Perry Ng and Grant Hanley saw red for second bookable offences. Teemu Pukki also limped out of the Canaries' limp loss.

City boss Dean Smith bemoaned his side's lack of quality in the final third. Norwich conjured up just one shot on-target in south Wales and struggled to produce a consistent stream of service to the isolated Pukki before his second-half departure for cramp. Concerningly, the Norfolk outfit have also struggled to discover a creative spark throughout pre-season.

Speaking post-match, Smith said: "The second half was chaotic, and the first half start scrappy with both teams being quite cagey. Our final ball in the final third wasn't as good as it should have been and we lacked that quality which probably cost us the game. But the least we should be leaving here with is a point."

Meanwhile, Norwich are hoping to have new £3.3m signing Marcelino Nunez available for Saturday. The Chilean international joined on Tuesday but could play a part at Carrow Road, providing his work permit is processed in time. Fellow new additions Isaac Hayden and Gabriel Sara remain sidelined, although Pukki is expected to be fit enough to feature.

Honours even for Wigan

Wigan were held to a goalless draw on their return to the Championship by regional rivals Preston last weekend. Neither side were able to find a breakthrough during an at-times feisty affair, with goalkeepers and defences to the fore, but Latics chief Leam Richardson was pleased to see Athletic get off the mark in their opening encounter.

Richardson said: "On reflection, a clean sheet, first game back into the Championship. These lads have done great. The pace of the game was excellent. Every player who stepped on the pitch gave a good account of themselves. The second-half we grew into it a bit more, but with the sending off they're able to drop 10 yards deeper."

Last season's top-scorer for Wigan, Will Keane, had chances to give the hosts the lead, but was unable to find the back of the net thanks to Preston keeper Freddie Woodman's efforts, while Josh Magennis could not guide his header on-target. At the opposite end, Ben Amos made a superb double save to deny North End towards the end of the opening 45 minutes.

Few changes are expected for Saturday. The Latics boast almost exactly the same squad of players that secured the League One title, and the club's only new signing, Ryan Nyambe, is still searching for match fitness.

Canaries firm favourites at Carrow Road

Norwich boast a W5-D4-L2 supremacy in head-to-head league meetings with Wigan going back to 2003 and the Canaries have tended to come out on top when the two teams' cross swords at Carrow Road. City have claimed W4-D1-L1 in six league meetings here against Athletic during that same sample, winning 1-0 in the most recent clash here in 2018.

Norwich 1.705/7 have won 29 (63%) of 46 home fixtures across their last two title-winning Championship campaigns and the Canaries have returned W18-D4-L2 against bottom-half opposition in that same sequence. However, I've no desire to back Dean Smith's side at the current odds whilst the pre-season favourites adjust to life back in the second-tier.

Wigan 6.005/1 boasted the best road record in League One in 2021/22 (W14-D6-L3), although the Latics failed to succeed in all four trips to fellow top-five teams. In fact, Athletic only registered a solitary victory against elite third-tier opposition (W1-D2-L5), yet their opening day performance against Preston suggests the visitors won't be easy meat this time around.

Oppose goals in early kick-off

Matchday one of the Championship was the lowest-scoring opening weekend in the competition's 121-year history with just 1.33 goals per-game on average. Only one fixture produced a successful Over 2.5 Goals 1.9520/21 play, while just four matches featured winning Both Teams To Score 1.9620/21 bets.

The market is happy to oppose a high-scoring Carrow Road encounter on Saturday, and I tend to buy-into the same suggestion considering Wigan's organised and resolute defensive efforts, as well as Norwich's concerning output in the final-third since Premier League relegation. With that in mind, I'm happy to go against goals in Norfolk.

Punters looking to back the short-priced home favourites can get Norwich to win and Under 3.5 Goals at a reasonable 2.13113/100 via the Bet Builder, but I'll instead support Both Teams To Score 'No' at 1.9520/21 on the Exchange.