Norwich City vs Birmingham City; Sky Bet Championship
Norwich City vs Birmingham City. Sky Bet Championship.
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Norwich v Birmingham preview
Friday 8 September 2017 15:36, UK
Norwich could hand a debut to defender Grant Hanley for the Sky Bet Championship clash against Birmingham at Carrow Road.
The Scotland centre-half joined the Canaries from Newcastle ahead of the transfer deadline and may come into contention as under-pressure head coach Daniel Farke looks to avoid a third straight league defeat, while Swiss defender Timm Klose should be fit again following a pre-season leg muscle problem.
Portugal forward Nelson Oliveira was one of several Norwich players in action over the international break, scoring in the 5-1 World Cup qualifying win over the Faroe Islands, so will be assessed along with Republic of Ireland midfielder Wes Hoolahan, who had been carrying a groin problem.
Striker Cameron Jerome missed the 4-0 defeat at Milwall with a groin injury. Midfielder Alex Pritchard is recovering from ankle surgery, while Jamal Lewis (knee) and Louis Thompson (Achilles) also continue their rehabilitation.
Birmingham manager Harry Redknapp has confirmed that striker Che Adams will return to the first-team squad after recovering from a hamstring injury. Adams, who signed a new five-year deal with the club on Thursday, has not featured since being substituted after an hour of the win over Bristol City on August 12.
It is not all good news on the injury front however, with Isaac Vassell and Carl Jenkinson ruled out of the clash with the struggling Canaries. Vassell is sidelined with a hamstring injury while Jenkinson has undergone an operation on his shoulder.
Opta stats
The Canaries are unbeaten in their last five home league games against Birmingham (W3 D2) since a 1-0 defeat in March 2002.
Birmingham have only won one of their last 10 league matches against Norwich (D5 L4).
Norwich have lost their last two league games, while they haven't lost three in succession since November 2016 (a run of five).
Birmingham haven't lost their opening three away league games of a season since the 1988/89 campaign.
No player has scored more goals as a substitute in the Championship this season than Nelson Oliveira (2 - level with Brentford's Neal Maupay).
Five of the six goals Birmingham have conceded in the Championship this season have come in the second half of games, with the other coming after just 54 seconds against Bristol City.
Prutton's prediction
It's been a bit of a nightmare start for Daniel Farke so far. It's too early to be worried about their league position, but he never would have wanted to see his side in the bottom three. He'll be happy to be back at home, though, after shipping four goals in consecutive away games.
It will be interesting to see how Birmingham get on now with all their new arrivals. If Jota hits the ground running then Harry Redknapp's side could soon find themselves heading in the right direction.
Prutton predicts: 0-2 (22/1 with Sky Bet)
