Championship side Norwich host Premier League outfit Brighton in the FA Cup third round on Saturday, and we’ve got the latest team news and predicted lineups included within our match preview.
Norwich vs Brighton FA Cup Preview
Out of form Brighton travel to Norfolk to take on Championship side Norwich at Carrow Road in the FA Cup third round on Saturday afternoon, where the Seagulls will be aiming to bring an end to their eight-game winless run.
Fabian Hurzeler’s side last prevailed in a football match on November 23, a 2-1 win away at Bournemouth, but they have since played out six stalemates and suffered two defeats, most recently drawing 1-1 with Arsenal.
It’s a run of results that leaves them in 10th place in the Premier League table, ahead of the likes of Brentford, Tottenham and Manchester United, while they are eight points adrift of Chelsea in the top four.
Brighton have never won the FA Cup, with their best ever finish coming in 1982/83 when they were runners-up to Manchester United. Last season, they were eliminated in the fifth round, as they fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat to Wolves.
Heading to Carrow Road for #EmiratesFACup action! 🫡 pic.twitter.com/30be4NRNoy
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) January 9, 2025
Like the Seagulls, Norwich have never lifted the FA Cup, however they have reached as far as the semi-finals on three occasions, most recently in 1992. They exited the competition in the fourth round last term after losing 5-2 to Liverpool.
The Canaries come into this one in strong form, as they are unbeaten in four, including three wins and a draw. Their most recent outing ended in a 2-1 triumph over Coventry, where late substitute Forson Amankwah netted twice in stoppage time to turn the game on its head and seal the victory, propelling Johannes Thorup’s side up to 11th in the table.
Saturday’s meeting will be the first time that Norwich and Brighton have met since the 2021/22 season, when the Canaries were relegated from the top-flight. Both of their meetings that term ended in 0-0 stalemates.
Norwich Team News
The hosts are expected to be without Anis Ben Slimane (leg), Liam Gibbs (hamstring), Gabe Forsyth (knee) and Josh Sargent (muscular) through injury, while Jakob Sorensen is a doubt due to illness.
They will also have to deal with the absence of Borja Sainz, who has received a six-match suspension and a £12,000 fine for spitting at an opponent during the Canaries’ 2-1 defeat to Sunderland last month.
Brighton Team News
As for the visitors, they are without countless first-team players, with all of Joao Pedro (ankle), James Milner (thigh), Jack Hinshelwood (knee), Ferdi Kadioglu (ankle), Mats Wieffer (thigh), Diego Gomez, Evan Ferguson (ankle) and Igor Julio (thigh) due to miss out, while Danny Welbeck (ankle) and Lewis Dunk (calf) are doubts.
These absences leave Hurzeler with just two central defensive options in Jan Paul van Hecke and Adam Webster, with the latter only just returning from a three-month layoff himself.
With Pedro, Ferguson and Welbeck expected to miss out, either Georginio Rutter or Julio Enciso should lead the line.
Norwich vs Brighton Predicted Lineups
Norwich Predicted Lineup:
Gunn; Fisher, Duffy, Doyle, Chrisene; Nunez, McLean, Amankwah; Schwartau, Crnac, Dobbin
Brighton Predicted Lineup:
Steele; Lamptey, Van Hecke, Webster, March; Moder, Ayari; Minteh, Enciso, Mitoma; Rutter
Norwich vs Brighton FA Cup Third Round Prediction
The UK’s best football betting sites heavily favour the Seagulls to come out on top in this one, however we at SportsCasting are going against the grain and are predicting a ‘cupset’ at Carrow Road.
Norwich have hit form at just the right time, winning three of their last four in the second tier, while Brighton have failed to record a victory in each of their last eight in the top-flight.
With rotations expected, as well as numerous absentees for the visitors, we’re backing the Canaries to shock their Premier League counterparts by securing a 1-0 victory at home.
Prediction: Norwich 1-0 Brighton
