Everton vs. Norwich City: 5 Key Battles to Watch

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Everton have certainly made a strong start to the season, but Norwich City are one of the in-form teams in the Premier League following recent wins against Arsenal, Stoke and Manchester United.

There will certainly be some key battles in the match to determine the result. Norwich will be looking for their first away win of the season, but Everton have yet to lose at home. So, we are likely to be in for a truly intriguing match.

So sit back, relax and enjoy this slideshow to preview Saturday's game.

Tim Howard vs. Grant Holt

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I think it's fairly clear that Grant Holt is Norwich City's biggest goal threat. The Canaries will look to provide some good crosses into the box for the big man. It may well be up to the American stopper to keep him at bay.

The striker has already scored against Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal this season. So he may well see an opportunity to score against another one of the top teams. Nevertheless, Howard may not expect to be overly busy because Norwich rarely score more than once.

John Ruddy vs. Nikica Jelavic

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The Canaries are fortunate that Everton's top scorer Marouane Fellaini is unavailable for the game due to suspension. However, they will still have to keep their eye on Croatian striker Jelavic. But they will be confident that they can keep him quiet.

Norwich have been superb defensively recently, and have now kept three consecutive clean sheets. John Ruddy will be keen to secure another shutout. However, the club will think the most important thing is keeping the unbeaten record going in a tricky away game. 

Steven Pienaar vs. Javier Garrido

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The Everton winger will be keen to create things for his team. However, having witnessed Garrido's job against Manchester United last weekend, I would be very confident that he could stop any sort of attacking influence within the Premier League.

Let's not forget that the Spaniard also comes with an attacking threat of his own, as he showed by laying on the winning goal for Anthony Pilkington against Manchester United. 

Leon Osman vs. Wes Hoolahan

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Wes Hoolahan is a major creative player in the Norwich City midfield. Hoolahan has the ability to unlock the best Premier League defenses, so it stands to reason that Everton's game plan is to stop him.

This could be a major part of Osman's job on Saturday, but the player will also want to get forward for his own team. It promises to be a very interesting battle that could be a major factor on the final result.

Anthony Pilkington vs. Seamus Coleman

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I thought Anthony Pilkington was back to something close to his best against Manchester United. This wasn't just due to his goal, but also his all-round performance. His timing was pretty good because he has been below-par for a while. 

Anyway, I expect more of the same from the winger when the sides meet on Saturday. Coleman is likely to have his work cut out to ensure Pilkington doesn't have another very successful day at the office.

 

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