- 1 Norwich City vs Bolton Wanderers: a side that can score, and a defence that keeps sinking
- 2 Norwich City, a team that scores and concedes
- 3 Bolton Wanderers, one clean sheet in eight matches
- 4 Football Prediction Norwich City vs Bolton Wanderers
- 5 First, a word on our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information that moves
- 8 Your role
- 9 Responsible gambling first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the images…
Norwich City vs Bolton Wanderers: a side that can score, and a defence that keeps sinking 
Thirteen goals scored, tied for the fifth-best attack in the division. And yet Norwich City have still lost four of their seven league games.
Norwich welcome Bolton Wanderers this Sunday, 20 September, at 2.30pm at Carrow Road, in the eighth round of Championship fixtures.
Philippe Clement would not have imagined this kind of start after the huge finish to the 2025-26 season. A win, though, would lift his side back into the top half.
Bolton, meanwhile, are already scrapping to stay up and know victory would drag them away from the drop zone.
The Trotters are back in the Championship this summer and are finding out how unforgiving it is. One win in seven games is nowhere near enough.
The historical record is clear: in the last eight meetings between the two clubs, Norwich have won six and Bolton just once.
The two teams also come into this one off very different weeks. Norwich played in the English League Cup on Thursday, Bolton did not.
That matters more than it might first appear, though not in the way you may think: Clement made wholesale changes in Manchester. His key men should be fresh.
Thirteen goals scored and four defeats in seven games: the imbalance is obvious on the English side of the road. Clement needs to find some stability before the table starts to split apart.
Norwich City, a team that scores and concedes 
Last week’s 4-3 defeat at Middlesbrough summed it all up. Norwich trailed 3-1, fought back to 3-3, then collapsed in the 91st minute.
That kind of story has played out too often since August. The attack does its job, the defence folds at the worst possible moment.
Before that setback, Norwich had won back-to-back games: 3-1 at Sheffield United and 2-1 against Birmingham City.
Across their last five league matches, they have picked up three wins, including the 4-1 demolition of Burnley on 29 August.
Only the 1-0 defeat at Stoke City has blotted the copybook, along with that 4-3 loss at Middlesbrough. The quality is there. The consistency is not.
On Thursday night, a heavily rotated side was thrashed 5-0 by Manchester City in the English League Cup. Only Kellen Fisher and Anis Ben Slimane kept their places in the team.
That heavy rotation has one obvious upside: the first-team players should be fresh for Sunday. Those rested at the Etihad are expected to come straight back in.
Gabriel Forsyth and Ali Ahmed are among four players still unavailable. Jovon Makama is pushing for a start after scoring off the bench at Middlesbrough and being rested in Manchester.
The 4-1 win at Burnley remains Norwich’s best performance of the season. On that day, the attacking edge was matched by genuine control.
The 3-1 victory at Sheffield United showed another side of this Norwich team, one that can get the job done on a tough ground. That is the version Carrow Road will want to see on Sunday.
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Bolton Wanderers, one clean sheet in eight matches 
Four points from the first two games, then four straight defeats. Bolton’s return to the Championship has quickly turned into a grind.
Lincoln City, Sheffield United, Millwall and West Ham United have all beaten the Trotters in that run.
Three of those defeats came by a single goal, which softens the blow a little. The 4-0 hammering at Millwall, though, needs no dressing up.
The response came against Cardiff City, a direct rival in the survival fight, with Thierry Gale scoring the only goal after a Theo Bair assist.
That clean sheet was only Bolton’s second in eight matches in all competitions. Defending remains Steven Schumacher’s biggest headache.
The challenge gets much tougher on Sunday against a team with 13 goals, tied for the fifth-best attack in the division.
Chris Forino is nursing a groin problem and, even if he does recover, Ben Davies should keep his spot in the middle. Schumacher is unlikely to rip up his defence or midfield.
Gale is in line to replace Samuel Iling-Junior or Kyliane Dong after his winner. Bair, who set it up that day, is competing with Sam Dalby for the central striking role.
The 0-0 draw at Queens Park Rangers on the opening day did at least give Bolton a decent start. Points on the road have been rare since.
Schumacher is still trying to find the right balance between his back line and midfield. Those three one-goal defeats suggest his side have not been far away.
Likely Norwich City line-up: Kovacevic ; Fisher, McConville, Cordoba, Chrisene ; McLean, Mattsson ; Brooks, Ben Slimane, Musaba ; Touré
Likely Bolton Wanderers line-up: Bazunu ; Larrazabal, Toal, Davies, Conway ; Erhahon, Sheehan ; Gale, Rodrigues, Dong ; Dalby
Football Prediction Norwich City vs Bolton Wanderers
Our prediction: Norwich City to win
Norwich have the fifth-best attack in the division with 13 goals, while Bolton have kept only one clean sheet in their last eight matches.
Clement rested nine starters in Manchester on Thursday, which removes any real question of fatigue against a side that played a full league fixture.
Bolton have just beaten a struggling side at home, which is a long way from a trip to Carrow Road.
Six wins in the last eight meetings, a team in scoring form and fresh starters: Norwich should take the three points.
Bolton have not picked up anything away from home since that opening-day draw in London. Their only win of the season came at home.
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