Norwich vs. Sunderland - Match Preview

Paul Lambert and Steve Bruce go into tonight's live televised Norwich vs. Sunderland game on Sky Sports Monday Night Football both likely to have earmarked the game as highly winnable. Both teams have five points to their name this campaign and under the scrutiny of live television camera's will be going at it hammer and tongs tonight, especially the home side thinking there's more likely to be points to be had tonight rather than at Old Trafford next time out. Bruce will be buoyed by the way his team slaughtered Stoke 4-0 at home last weekend, reacting extremely well for their manager who had started to come under a lot of pressure from the fans and in the media after the Black Cats' poor 2011. And he returns tonight to Carrow Road, the team he captained for three years as a player in the mid 80's, hoping to recapture the 4-1 League Cup victory success when the sides last met two seasons ago. But Norwich are a much improved side since that defeat. They have gained back-to-back promotions from League One and only Wes Hoolahan and Grant Holt are regular first teamers from the last time the clubs met and won their first Premier League away game in 17 years against Bolton Wanderers last weekend. Both sides have a ton of new players since last season and Sunderland especially will be hoping they play together more like last week than they had in previous games. Team News; Paul Lambert has no new injury concerns going into tonight's match with Zak Whitbread still absent with a hamstring pull, and defenders Elliott Ward and Dani Ayala out with knee problems. Sunderland defender Phil Bardsley misses out his second of four games throgh suspension whilst long term absentee's Frazier Campbell, David Meyler and Craig Gordon won't feature. Norwich (from): Ruddy, Tierney, Barnett, R Martin, Naughton, Fox, Johnson, Hoolahan, Crofts, Pilkington, Holt, Bennett, Morison, Vaughan, C Martin, de Laet, Surman, Rudd. Sunderland (from): Mignolet, Westwood, Brown, O'Shea, Richardson, Turner, Bramble, Laing, Cattermole, Gardner, Vaughan, Larsson, Colback, Elmohamady, Bendtner, Sessegnon, Wickham, Ji, McClean, Cook. Betting Update; Courtesy of www.livebetting.net. Norwich - 11/8 Draw - 2/1 Sunderland - 23/10 Prediction - 1-2 - I actually fancy Sunderland might snatch it tonight after the confidence boosting win from last week. A late winner from Connor Whickham is my prediction.