“I think…”: Ex-EFL man drops Oxford United vs Norwich City score prediction

Norwich City return to Championship duty on Tuesday night with a trip to the Kassam Stadium to face Oxford United, and former EFL striker Sam Parkin is backing the Canaries to come away with all three points.

Parkin has tipped Norwich for a 2-0 away victory, with the Canaries currently sitting 17th in the Championship after 31 games, four points clear of the relegation zone.

They head into the clash on the back of a solid 2-0 home win over Blackburn Rovers, with Anis Ben Slimane and Mohamed Toure finding the net at Carrow Road.

Speaking on the Benjamin Bloom YouTube channel, the ex-Luton Town, Ipswich Town and Swindon Town forward explained his prediction:
“I can’t back against Norwich at the moment.

There are some tough fixtures coming up after this one, so they’ll know how important it is to pick up points here to make sure they stay safe in the Championship. This is a game they’ll be targeting and feeling confident about. I’ll go 2-0.”

Norwich appointed Philippe Clement as head coach earlier this winter following the departure of Liam Manning, and the move has paid dividends. The Belgian, who has previously managed Genk, Club Brugge and AS Monaco and left Rangers in February, has settled quickly in East Anglia and overseen a notable improvement in results.

When Clement arrived, Norwich looked in serious danger of being dragged into a relegation battle. Since then, he has steered the club away from the bottom three, although safety is far from guaranteed. Consistency remains key, and Clement will be keen to ensure there is no room for complacency.

The Canaries head into Tuesday’s fixture in confident mood, having won five of their last six matches in all competitions. Their only recent defeat came away to league leaders Middlesbrough, underlining how difficult they have become to face.

Oxford United, meanwhile, are braced for a stern examination against an in-form Norwich side. The U’s recently appointed Matt Bloomfield as manager following the dismissal of Gary Rowett, turning to the former Colchester United, Wycombe Wanderers and Luton Town player in an attempt to spark a revival.

Bloomfield has won just one of his first six games in charge, though his side did earn a creditable 0-0 draw away at promotion-chasing Coventry City in their most recent outing.

Despite that result, Oxford remain in the relegation zone alongside Sheffield Wednesday and Blackburn Rovers. They sit four points adrift of safety with 15 matches still to play and face a real battle to avoid slipping back into League One unless results start to improve quickly.