We Want Our Scarves Back!

The Canaries head into Old Trafford this afternoon full of confidence after back-to-back victories, but face their biggest test yet against Premier League champions Manchester United.

United have started the season they way they finished the last, and are currently top of the pile with 16 points from their opening 6 games.

City boss Paul Lambert says his side are not worried (EDP):

'It is probably the hardest game you will get, but we have earned the right to play them, and if you dont like playing a game like this, then there is something wrong.'

'I won`t need to lift them because the atmosphere and the players they are going to be against will do that for them. We will give it a right good go and there have been better teams than us who have gone there and got right turned over, which shows you the magnitude of what we have to face.

'Sometimes upsets can happen and we will try everything we can to win. It is only great if you are not getting stuffed, I hear all the time it is a great day out, but it is only great if you are doing arlright, not if you are getting smacked six or seven nothing.

'I dont buy into it is a lovely day out for the supporters. It is only if you are giving a right good go at it.'

United welcome Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez and Jonny Evans back into the squad following injury.

Nemanja Vidic, Chris Smalling and Tom Cleverley are still injured.

Picking just one Man Utd player to keep an eye almost seems ludicrous, but if you're going to single one out it has to be Rooney, even if just to admire his flowing locks.

City defender Zak Whitbread has not recovered in time from a hamstring injury in time and will miss this afternoon's game.

With Elliott Ward and Daniel Ayala still out with long-term knee injuries and the on-loan Ritchie De Laet unable to play against his parent club Leon Barnett is the only fit central defender at Carrow Road.

He is expected to be partnered at the heart of the City defence by Russell Martin for the third time this season, who coped well against Kevin Davies of Bolton and Sunderland's Nicklas Bendtner.

James Vaughan and Korey Smith are both out until the new year with knee and ankle injuries respectively, so Paul Lambert may decide to go with the same starting eleven for the third game in succession.

Not vastly experienced at centre back, and likely to face any two of Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez, Michael Owen, Dimitar Berbatov or Danny Welbeck. Yeah, keep your eye on Cafu.

It seems hard to imagine now but there was a time when the Canaries went to Old Trafford with real expectations of getting a win.

In fact, City won back-to-back Premier League games at Old Trafford against Manchester United in the 1988/89 and 1989/09 seasons.

In the October 1988 encounter Bryan Gunn saved a penalty from Brian McClair before Mark Hughes gave United the lead with a trademark volley.

Mike Phelan equalised for the Canaries with six minutes to play, and Andy Townsend scored with a 25-yard volley of his own to send the travelling supporters home happy...

Today's referee is Stuart Attwell. The man who infamously awarded this 'goal' at Vicarage Road a couple of years back:

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