Manchester United travel to Carrow Road to face Norwich City in a match which both teams must win for different reasons.

The Red Devils go into the game fifth in the Premier League table, four points behind Manchester City with an all-important game in hand over their neighbours.

That will mean very little though if Louis Van Gaal’s side do not take all three points back to Manchester on Saturday in a tough match against a resilient Norwich who are fighting their own battle to stay in the league.

Ahead of the match United boss Van Gaal has admitted that he knows it will be a very difficult tie for his side, who will be looking for revenge against the Canaries after they shocked the Old Trafford crowd earlier in the season with a 2-1 win.

The Dutchman stated that the pressure is on his side but is confident that United will “fight until the end.”

Norwich to give everything

Opposition manager Alex Neil  is expecting his players to give everything and insisted; “there is no room for excuses” as they bid to do the improbable and claw their way out of the bottom three.

City come into the game after a narrow 1-0 defeat against Arsenal last weekend, and also lost their previous two matches before that, one to relegation rivals Sunderland as well as a narrow defeat away at Crystal Palace.

Despite losing 11 of their last 15 matches some good reading for City fans will be the fact that United have won away from home just once in their last five Premier League away matches, a run that Neil’s side will be keen to extend.

​Previous meetings

Before the Canaries victory at Old Trafford earlier in the season, United had won the previous four meetings scoring 13 goals in the process and conceding none.

Norwich beat United at Old Trafford when they last met (photo source: getty images)

United's most recent victory over the Norfolk club came at Old Trafford in April 2014, a 4-0 win as goals from Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata sealed the points for then caretaker manager Ryan Giggs after the sacking of David Moyes.

​Team news

Marouane Fellaini will begin the first game of his suspension after he accepted a violent conduct charge from the tie with Leicester City. United will also still be without Luke Shaw and Bastian Schweinsteiger through injury.

As for the home side Ryan Bennett could miss out through illness, Tim Klose and Alexander Tettey will certainly be unavailable through injury.

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About the author
Ben Strange
Sports journalism at Southampton Solent University