Premier League Odds, Picks, Predictions: Norwich City vs. Leeds United Betting Preview (Oct. 31)

Premier League Odds, Picks, Predictions: Norwich City vs. Leeds United Betting Preview (Oct. 31) article feature image
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Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images. Pictured: Norwich City standout Teemu Pukki.

  • Norwich City welcomes Leeds United to Carrow Road for Sunday’s Premier League match.
  • The Canaries are last in the entire league, while the Peacocks have struggled out of the gate themselves.
  • Avery Zimmerman breaks down the matchup below and delivers his top pick tied to the game total.

Norwich City vs. Leeds Odds

Norwich City Odds+250
Leeds Odds+105
Draw+260
Over/Under2.5 ( -130/ +105)
Day | TimeSunday | 10 a.m. ET
How To WatchNBCSN | fuboTV
Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute Soccer odds here.

No one needs to get going in the Premier League more than Norwich City and the club will have a great chance to find a result Sunday when it faces a struggling Leeds United side that sits just outside the relegation zone.

Neither team has won a game across all competitions since Leeds beat Watford on Oct. 2 and Norwich specifically hasn't won since a Carabao Cup tie against Bournemouth way back in August.

The stakes are high between two of the most poorly performing Premier League outfits, but who has the edge in this contest? I don't believe the answer is a team, but rather the attacking groups of each side.

Norwich City Desperate for Three Points

It's early in the season, but Norwich has gotten off to an abysmal start. The Canaries' two points in the table come from draws and nine losses have defined the sluggish period.

Neither the Norwich attack nor defense have done much to correct the results the team has been dealing with thus far. A unit led by Teemu Pukki and American international Josh Sargent hasn't been able to produce anything up front. Norwich is generating 0.76 xG per game, which is the lowest in the English top flight.

On the defensive end, Norwich is conceding 1.84 xGA per 90 minutes, also securing the worst position in the league. It's no surprise the Canaries haven't been able to produce quality results when considering those numbers.

A scoreless draw against a quality Brighton & Hove Albion team served as a bit of a boost two weeks ago, but the only thing that would truly uplift the Canaries now would be a three-point performance.

Leeds Getting Key Players Back in Lineup

Though the performances just haven't been up to par for manager Marcelo Bielsa's team, it will be returning the services of two important players.

Junior Firpo and Kalvin Phillips are projected to return after missing time due to injuries. Firpo will provide welcome assistance both on the defensive end, in addition to the ability he has to bomb forward down the side.

Phillips is a defensive midfielder that helps with the fluency in Leeds' midfield, as well as in the defensive third where the team is thoroughly struggling at the moment.

Leeds is conceding 1.6 xGA per game at the moment and has been punished because of it. The Peacocks have given up 16 goals on the year through nine goals, which projects to remain a problem if the defensive structure of the back line doesn't change.

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Betting Analysis & Pick

Though Norwich has struggled immensely throughout the year, I think this is a prime opportunity for the Canaries to get going offensively.

Leeds' defense is vulnerable despite the return of two key players and they have  been a bit unlucky to have only garnered two goals in the EPL thus far. However, that doesn't mean that Norwich will be able to generate a result.

The Canaries are incredibly vulnerable themselves on defense, and their 1.84 xGA per game doesn't bode well for protecting any advantages that might be derived on the offensive end. If either team is able to get an early goal and force the opposition into attack mode, play could quickly open.

In that situation, neither defense will be confident in its ability to limit chances, and at that point it just becomes a question of how well attackers can convert on their chances.

Rather than opt for a prediction on a winner, I'll be putting my faith behind recent trends holding true for this contest.

Pick: Total Over 2.5 Goals (-130)

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