Norwich City host Portsmouth at Carrow Road on Saturday desperate to halt a damaging five-match losing streak in all competitions. The Canaries, who sit 20th in the Championship with just nine points from ten games, last tasted victory over a month ago. Their league record of three wins and seven defeats from ten matches has left them in 20th place, and their recent form shows five consecutive losses.
Philippe Clement will preview the Championship home clash against Portsmouth this lunchtime. The manager confirmed a lengthy injury list continues to hamper his selection options.
Goalkeeper Vladan Kovacevic remains out with concussion, so Dan Grimshaw will continue in goal. Captain Kenny McLean is a doubt with an ankle problem, while Kellen Fisher battles a back issue and Papa Amadou Diallo has suffered a thigh setback. There is better news as Lucien Mahovo has returned to the squad and Mirko Topic is set to step up his recovery with the U21s. Ali Ahmed is a long-term absentee with an ACL injury.
Norwich's recent form is a major concern, with their last win coming against Birmingham City on September 9th. Since then, they have lost their last five matches, including a 1-0 defeat to Southampton on Wednesday 14 October, a 2-1 loss at Swansea on 10 October, and a 3-4 home defeat to Bolton on 20 September. They have conceded 20 goals this season while scoring 17, leaving them with a goal difference of minus three. The team's top scorer this season is M. Touré, who has five goals in seven appearances.
Portsmouth arrive in 16th place, buoyed by a dramatic 3-2 win over Sheffield United. They have, however, failed to score in their last two away league matches. The historical record favours Norwich, with 25 wins from 64 meetings, but their last home victory over Pompey was a 1-0 win in 2002. The past three encounters have been high-scoring, producing 13 goals, including a 5-3 Portsmouth win at Carrow Road in April 2025.
Ahead of kick-off, the club will commemorate the life of former majority shareholder and life president Michael Wynn Jones. Clement's men then face a critical period in their fixtures, needing to find points quickly to climb away from the relegation places. The match kicks off at 3pm on Saturday 17 October.
