Preview: Villa travel to Norwich

Is it too late to bring back Paul Lambert on a one game appointment? The former Norwich manager turned Norwich assassin is famous for his knack of beating his old club, but its probably best for everybody involved if we just play it safe and stick with Remi Garde for now.

As for Villa, things seem to be pointing up. If only minutely, progress at this point is progress. We may be winless in the league since opening day versus Bournemouth, but we are unbeaten in two - matches which both could have easily swung Villa's way.

On Saturday, Villa played a puzzling West Ham side to a competitive and fully deserved 1-1 draw. While it should have been a Villa victory, Remi Garde's men showed real intent and quality in the second half, resulting in a Jordan Ayew penalty and multiple chances to secure victory, which came agonizingly close. Ayew seems to be embracing the role of 'Benteke Junior' more and more every week. Whether it be wonder goals, stutter step penalties, or simply the ability to carry a team on his back, he begins to resemble the big Belgian more and more.

In the defense, Alan Hutton likely retains his place at right back, and Leandro Bacuna's competence thus far at left back likely means he will return to the starting eleven. Captain Micah Richards is still nursing an injury, and will probably not be available Monday, meaning that the partnership of Jores Okore and Joleon Lescott will probably see another game.

In the midfield, Carlos Sanchez exited Saturday's game with a hamstring injury, so he will probably miss out on Monday. Carles Gil was brought on for Sanchez on Saturday, but struggled to exert himself on the flow of the game and may not find himself in the starting lineup. Sanchez's leaves an absence in the position of holding midfield - neither Ashley Westwood nor Idrissa Gueye are truly holding midfielders, and it remains to be seen how Remi Garde will try to compensate for this loss. It could mean Garde commits to another attacking midfield position, leaving the door open for Jack Grealish or Adama Traore to return to the starting lineup. Jordan Veretout remains an obvious start and has been performing very well in recent games. The attack on Monday will surely be built around Jordan Ayew, and while Rudy Gestede featured on Saturday and won a penalty, we could see the return of Scott Sinclair, because no other striker or attacker has truly distinguished himself apart form Jordan Ayew.

Norwich are coming off the back of a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Tottenham. This, however, should not signal a sign of poor performances of late. Norwich beat Manchester United at Old Trafford the week before and have also held Everton and Arsenal to draws in their last 5 games. They sit in 17th on 17 points, 9 points above Villa. They are relatively healthy, with only two players reported as injured - Andre Wisdom and Matt Jarvis, although there is speculation that Wisdom may return on Monday. Norwich are unbeaten in their last three at home, but still provide Villa with a very good opportunity to grab a much needed win.

Norwich sits at about 11/10, the draw at 5/2, and Villa about 3/1.