Can we do it on Saturday please : Match Preview

By 4two
April 17 2003

Could this be the weekend when things are finnally sorted out? Who knows...but it could be a very interesting afternoon at the Bescot.

Big Points

Saddlers Vs Canaries Preview

Date : 19/04 Time: 3:00pm Venue: Bescot, Walsall Saddlers News

The Canaries are brining 2500 fans to the Bescot, so another 7500 plus crowd can be expected !

You cannot miss the stadium if you travel along the M6. It is just off Junction 9, then the A461 road leads you around to the Stadium. It is well signposted from the Motorway. You can Leave at Junction 10, it takes longer but it is also sign posted. It is a 20 minute walk from the town center, and it is also served by its own Station "Bescot Stadium Station". (Guide to Bescot)

The absence of Hay and Carbon means Lee is likely to go with a 4-3-1-2 or 4-4-2 system. Lawrence looked good in central midfield on Tuesday, and it would be a shame to force him out wide.

Phil Mulryne is expected to figure after recovering from a back injury. Forward Iwan Roberts has said "It's a make or break weekend really. If we lose on Saturday it could be curtains so we'll let Walsall take care of itself".

2-1 Last Meeting 21/12/2002

The Last 10 Head2Head Norwich City       Walsall Ven Versus Pos H 2 - 0 Burnley W 16 A 1 - 2 Derby L 20 H 3 - 2 Bradford W 15 H 1 - 0 Wimbledon W 9 A 0 - 4 Nottm Forest L 5 A 2 - 0 Millwall W 17 H 2 - 0 Coventry W 13 A 2 - 3 Portsmouth L 1 H 0 - 1 Reading L 3 H 0 - 2 Ipswich L 9 Ven Versus Pos H 0 - 0 Coventry D 19 A 1 - 0 Gillingham W 9 H 1 - 2 Portsmouth L 1 A 0 - 2 Crystal Palace L 14 A 0 - 5 Preston L 14 H 3 - 2 Burnley W 11 H 1 - 2 Millwall L 16 A 0 - 0 Rotherham D 8 A 2 - 1 Bradford W 19 A 0 - 1 Stoke L 24   Stats and Records 4-0 vs Grimsby, Watford Biggest Home Win 4-2 vs Stoke 2-0 vs Brighton, Reading, Coventry, Burnley Biggest Away Win 3-0 vs Millwall 0-2 vs Ipswich Heaviest Home Defeat 1-4 vs Leicester 0-4 vs Nottm Forest Heaviest Away Defeat 0-5 vs Preston 26 Players Used 29 16 Clean Sheets 12 10 Failed To Score 14 3 Best Winning Sequence 2 7 Best Unbeaten Sequence 3 4 Worst Losing Sequence 4 6 Worst Sequence With No Win 6     Forward Focus Paul McVeigh 18 Jorge Leitao 9 14 Goals 11 40 Games Played 40 0.35 Goals Per Game Average 0.28 13 Total Games Scored In 10 12 Games Scored 1 Goals 9 1 Games Scored 2 Goals 1 0 Games Scored 3 Goals 0 2 Scoring Run (games) 2 8 Dry Spell (games) 6

One2Watch: Zigor Aranalde's defensive abilities have been called in to question on more than one occasion this season, but his last few games have showed that his ability to get forward covers up for his sometimes shoddy defending. . One2Watch: Norwich Skipper Neil Emblen spent a month on loan with Saddlers just after Christmas without making any real impact. He has now regained full fitness and is back at the heart of the Norwich side.

Verdict

We could make survival a certainty on Saturday afternoon, assuming that we win and Brighton lose. The Canaries are battling hard to get in to the play offs and have a plethora of players who can cause opposition sides real problems. Their keeper Green, is regarded as being one of the best outside of the Premiership while Paul McVeigh has weighed in with some important goals this term. The return of Phil Mulryne could give the Canaries a real boost during the final weeks of the season, but the Saddlers will want to make sure of safety before tricky games against Grimsby, Derby and Wednesday.

Prediction: Saddlers 2-2 Norwich City