Swansea City's visit to Carrow Road takes on added significance as Norwich City seek their first league victory since September.

The Canaries have endured six defeats on the spin since their encouraging start to the season as Alex Neil, though a firmly affirmative character, begins to grow restless on the Norwich dugout.

The Scot may be buoyed by the visitors to Norfolk on Saturday as Garry Monk goes in search of just his second victory in his last nine attempts.

Form

Norwich welcome Garry Monk's side seeking their first league victory since September -- the 3-1 turnover of Bournemouth -- having lost their last four Premier League outings.

Neil's side began the season strongly, losing just three of their opening eight fixtures. 

Sunderland and Bournemouth were swatted aside and the impressive away form that was a hallmark of their promotion campaign since Neil assumed power in January seemed to transcend.

Before being issued an exhibition in counter-attacking by Claudio Ranieri's Leicester at Carrow Road, Neil's side surrendered deep into stoppage time against West Ham and, from there on, have scarcely recovered.

An ignominious 6-2 humbling at St. James Park followed -- a result Neil quickly dubbed an aberration -- before his side were downed by a Salomon Rondon inspired West Brom.

Signs of life began to surface against the league leaders last weekend, however, when Cameron Jerome profited from a rare Joe Hart error to ostensibly snatch a point from the jaws of defeat.

Yet the Canaries subsided with stoppage time approaching when a John Ruddy error prompted captain Russell Martin's dismissal for a deliberate handball on the line. Yaya Toure duly dispatched the subsequent spot-kick.

Swansea, similarly, find themselves in a rut of their own.

Like their opponents on Saturday, Monk's side started the campaign brightly -- the apogee of which arriving in a 2-1 triumph over Manchester United -- but now find themselves languishing in the bottom-half of the table after a barren spell of results.

Few could have foreseen the League Cup exit to Hull City but fewer could have envisaged the anaemic display that characterised the 1-0 home to defeat to a previously flailing Stoke City side. Wedged between those two fixtures was a worrying defeat at St. Mary's and a rudderless 2-2 draw with Spurs four days after their European exertions.

Victory at Villa Park offered some catharsis and, though they were outfought by a blazing Arsenal side after the restart last weekend, their first-half displayed yielded a multitude of positives for the Swansea coaching staff.

Previous meetings

Despite oscillating between divisions in recent years, the Canaries boast the superior head-to-head record, having consigned their opponents to defeat in three of their last six meetings.

Swansea, however, got the upper hand when the sides met during the 2013/14 campaign, blitzing a then meek Norwich outfit 3-0 at the Liberty Stadium before sharing the spoils in the reverse fixture later in the year.

Form guide

Norwich: LLLLL

Swansea: LDLWL

Team news

Neil will be shorn of captain, Russell Martin, after the defender's dismissal against Manchester City last time out. 

Andre Wisdom will also be sidelined by a knee injury while Matt Jarvis, who was forced off in last weekend's defeat, will undergo a late fitness test.

Swansea, meanwhile, remain fortunate on the injury front, though Monk may have to ponder over his selection as he aims to arrest the Welsh side's slide down the table.

Jack Cork may be restored to the starting line-up in place of Ki Sung-yeung while Bafetimbi Gomis' spot is under threat after a barren run that extended to eight outings last weekend.

Probable line-ups

Norwich (4-4-1-1): Ruddy; Whittaker, Bennett, Bassong, Brady; Redmond, Tettey, Mulumbu, Howson; Hoolahan; Mbokani.

Swansea (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Naughton, Williams, Fernandez, Taylor; Cork, Shelvey; Montero, Sigurdsson, Ayew; Gomis.

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About the author
Craig Vickers
Milk, honey and Andy Murray. Email: craigvickers1998[at]outlook.com