- Everton unbeaten in five
- Lukaku: 6 goals in his last 5 PL matches
- Norwich: 3 goals in their last 5 PL matches
With Norwich City lingering towards the bottom of the table, the Canaries kick off a tough stretch of matches when they host Everton on Saturday (Watch live, 7:45 a.m. ET on NBCSN and online via Live Extra).
[ WATCH: PL TV Schedule -- Week 16 ]
Norwich currently sits 16th on the table, but is tied on points with Bournemouth and Newcastle, only out of the drop zone on goal differential. With trips to Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur coming up after Everton, Alex Neil’s side must try to steal as many points as possible during this run.
The Canaries have just one win from their past nine Premier League matches, but get some good news in the return of Wes Hoolahan. The Irish international had been sidelined with a knee injury, but will likely be in the starting lineup to face Everton.
[ MORE: Prince-Wright’s Premier League Picks -- Week 16 ]
For Roberto Martinez’s Everton side, it’s been all Romelu Lukaku. The 22-year-old striker has scored in six straight matches for the Toffees, and is currently the second-highest goalscorer in the Premier League. Norwich City has conceded a league-high 10 goals from crosses this season, so look for the likes of Ross Barkley and Gerard Deulofeu to try and find the big Belgian in the box.
What they’re saying
Norwich boss Alex Neil on his message: “We would like to be in a better position, and the only way we can achieve that is playing better and winning games. The message is simple this week. We want to see passion and we want to see how much it means to everybody.”
Everton winger Gerard Deulofeu on Lukaku: “When you play with other good players, it so much easier. Whenever I get the ball, I look for Rom. Sometimes we will work on it in training, but it is natural. For me, he is the perfect striker. He is a big striker. When I put in the crosses he is very good with his head.”
Prediction
While their current runs of form may show something different, I expect this to be a close match. Norwich has put in some solid performances, and will have to stay strong defensively to try and slow the Everton attack. However, I think Lukaku keeps scoring and the Toffees leave with all three points. Norwich City 1-2 Everton.
