Charlie Nicholas names the Norwich trait Aston Villa could ‘take advantage of’ this weekend

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Dean Smith will take the Villa Park side to East Anglia tomorrow for an early Premier League relegation six-pointer.

Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas has given his verdict on Aston Villa ahead of their upcoming Premier League fixture, suggesting the defence is “struggling to cope” against the division’s better players but praising their attacking players (Sky Sports News).

Dean Smith’s charges head to Norwich City at the weekend hoping to pick up only their second league win of the campaign, the Villa Park side still finding their feet in the top flight following their Championship playoff triumph last season and currently in the bottom three.

Villa have shipped 11 goals so far in the league this term and scored eight, and they will be locking horns with a side also in the lower reaches of the table – 17th to be exact – making the Carrow Road clash an early relegation six-pointer for both newly promoted sides.

Nicholas also gave his verdict on Norwich, describing them as a “good watch” but admitting they will leak goals and suggesting Villa could take advantage of the Canaries’ “key to going forward” – namely by shutting out Todd Cantwell, Teemu Pukki and Emiliano Buendia.

“Villa’s defence is struggling to cope with the better players in the Premier League,” wrote Nicholas on Sky Sports News. “They may not score goals, but I believe there is goals in the team. You can flip John McGinn and Jack Grealish away from home and Wesley is a threat.

“Norwich are a good watch as we know. Defensively they will leak goals, but how far can Todd Cantwell and Teemu Pukki take them, alongside Emiliano Buendia and Marco Stiepermann? They give you everything they have, but the first three are the key to going forward – Villa could take advantage of that.”

Norwich have claimed just two victories in their last 14 top-flight games against Aston Villa, but the Canaries have won the last three league matches – all in the Championship between April 2018 and May 2019 (BBC Sport).