Norwich City and Leicester City are both strong contenders in the Championship, and a win for Norwich would be a significant confidence boost. (149 characters)
Norwich City has a few long-term absentees due to injury, but overall their injury situation is manageable, and they have enough quality in the squad. (150 characters)
Norwich’s immediate focus is on the upcoming match against Leicester, but they also have a busy schedule ahead with several important games before the October international break. (150 characters)
Norwich City take on Leicester City tonight in what should be a tight encounter with two of the better sides in the Championship so far.
Norwich ready for Leicester test
The Foxes were tipped to push for the title this season, and the early signs suggest Enzo Maresca’s men will be in the mix for automatic promotion come May.
However, the Canaries will have similar ambitions, and David Wagner’s men go into the game in fourth place, and they could leapfrog Leicester who are a place and two points above them, with a win at Carrow Road.
So, even at this early stage, it feels like an important game, whilst it will only give Norwich further belief if they can beat Leicester.
Norwich City injury news ahead of Leicester game
Generally, Wagner has a settled team this season, and even though this is the middle fixture of a three game week, the reality is that the ex-Huddersfield chief isn’t going to make major changes to the XI.
Pleasingly though, there are no fresh injury concerns from the side that beat Stoke City last time out.
Yet, there are a few long-term absentees, and none of those are back in contention to play against the Foxes.
Josh Sargent is one of those out, and he will not return until around Christmas, which is a shame considering how well he had started the season. But, the Canaries did act swiftly to bring in Hwang Ui-jo, who will look to make his mark over the coming weeks.
Elsewhere, Marcelino Nunez suffered a setback over the international break with Chile, and he is still out, even if the injury wasn’t as bad as first feared. Grant Hanley is still in the recovery stage from his Achilles problem, so he will be missing as well.
There was some good news shared by Wagner though, as Borja Sainz featured for the Norwich U21 side as a sub against Wolves last night. Of course, he will need more time to get up to speed before he is ready for the Championship.
Wagner also confirmed that Jacob Sorensen is back in training, although he will also need to build up his fitness before he is an option for selection.
Do Norwich miss those players?
The obvious big miss is Sargent, as he had started the season well, and he would no doubt be a key player if he was available. Plus, Hanley is a reliable performer at this level, and Nunez and Sorensen would be in the squad, whilst there’s an excitement about seeing what Sainz can go.
Overall though, Norwich’s injury situation isn’t that bad, and the boss will feel he has enough quality in the group, even if they may lack depth that some of their rivals have at the moment, but that situation should ease in the coming weeks.What next for Norwich?Of course, the only focus will be on Leicester’s visit, and it will be a good chance for Wagner to see his side against a top Championship outfit.After the Leicester game, Norwich face Plymouth this weekend, before a cup tie at Fulham next week. They also play Birmingham, Swansea and Coventry prior to the October international break.
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