Tottenham vs Norwich - Match preview and team news
Andre Villas-Boas’ will look to get his first victory as Tottenham manager on Saturday. Spurs face Norwich at White Hart Lane, wary of the threat the Canaries pose after Norwich’s 2-1 victory at Spurs towards the end of last season.
Spurs were unlucky to lose 2-1 away at Newcastle on the opening day and followed that up with a lacklustre 1-1 draw at home against West Bromwich Albion. Villas-Boas has also lost Luka Modric to Real Madrid and club captain Michael Dawson could still make a move to QPR. Spurs have replaced Modric with Fulham playmaker Mousa Dembele and are still looking at targets including Marseille striker Loic Remy. Rafael van der Vaart could also make a move away from the club and Villas-Boas will be frantically monitoring his squad with two days left in the transfer window.
Defender Younes Kaboul is out for a reported four months with a knee injury, and Spurs are still without defensive midfielder Scott Parker who is suffering from an Achilles problem. Dembele could be straight in the starting line-up against Norwich and may play just off either Emmanuel Adebayor or Jermain Defoe, who are looking to stake their claim as the top Tottenham striker.
Norwich fans will be happier than they were on the opening day after a 5-0 dismantling by Fulham. The Canaries were unlucky to only pick up one point against QPR last weekend after a harsh penalty decision allowed the West London side to score an equaliser. Norwich are slowly coming to terms with the loss of manager Paul Lambert to Aston Villa after guiding them to back-to-back promotions and a steady finish in the top flight last season.
Chris Hughton is looking to make an imprint on the side and will be desperate to add new faces before the end of the transfer window. The Canaries have signed goalkeeper Mark Bunn from Blackburn this week, but he is expected to be on the bench as an understudy to John Ruddy. Summer signing Steven Whittaker is back from an ankle problem and could start at White Hart Lane.
The Spurs fans will be keen to see goals from their side and hopeful that Villas-Boas will come good eventually after a big gamble from the club to dismiss Harry Redknapp. Norwich could cause an upset, but they will have to be on top form and Spurs should get their season going after the signings of the impressive Dembele and a constant goal threat in Adebayor.
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