After their 10-match unbeaten run came to an end in midweek, Norwich City will be aiming to bounce back when they face Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.
The Canaries lost 3-1 to Luton Town on Wednesday night and now host the Owls, who drew 1-1 with Reading.
Match preview
© Reuters
Despite their defeat at Kenilworth Road, Norwich remain top of the Championship table as other teams in the promotion race also dropped points.
Emiliano Buendia's penalty had pulled the Canaries level after Luton took an early lead, but ultimately they lacked intensity and urgency and were deservedly beaten.
Daniel Farke's side are in the midst of an injury crisis, and the game against the Hatters was the one that finally broke his squad, who have coped admirably in recent weeks.
Farke once again had no recognised striker to call upon, while he could only name a seven-man substitutes bench, five of whom were academy players.
The East Anglian outfit have only lost once at home this season, and will welcome supporters to the stadium on Saturday for the first time since February.
© Reuters
That is not good news for Sheffield Wednesday, who have not won at Carrow Road since 2009.
Tony Pulis is still looking for his first win as Owls manager, with the draw against Reading keeping the club in the relegation zone and four points adrift of safety.
Yet the Welshman could not have asked for much more against the Royals, as his team played the final hour of the game with 10 men following Liam Shaw's sending-off and should have had at least two penalties given against them.
It was a fifth red card in Wednesday's last nine games, suggesting that discipline is one key area that Pulis must improve upon if he is to keep them up.
However he has at least made the Yorkshire side hard to beat, as their current run of three straight draws marks their longest unbeaten streak in almost a year.
A victory is needed soon though, as are goals – the Owls have scored just three times in their last nine games and only Wycombe Wanderers and Derby County have netted fewer in the whole division across the whole campaign so far.
Norwich City Championship form: DWWWDL
Sheffield Wednesday Championship form: WDLDDD
Team News
© Reuters
Even if Daniel Farke wanted to make changes following Norwich's midweek defeat, he has limited options available to him due to the club's lengthy injury list.
Of those currently sidelined, Teemu Pukki is the only one expected to be back fit for Saturday, but that will be a huge boost in itself.
Christoph Zimmermann and Mario Vrancic could come in to start, but other than that pair, Farke may turn to the academy after giving 18-year-old Tyrese Omotoye his debut against Luton.
Tony Pulis faces a dilemma in midfield with both Liam Shaw and Massimo Luongo suspended, while Barry Bannan is a doubt after picking up a knock against Reading.
This could lead to Callum Paterson dropping deeper, with Josh Windass – available again after his own suspension – then able to feature upfront.
Norwich City possible starting lineup:
McGovern; Aarons, Hanley, Gibson, Sorensen; Tettey, Skipp; Buendia, Vrancic, Martin; Pukki
Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:
Wildsmith; Palmer, Lees, Borner, Odubajo; Pelupessy, Dele-Bashiru, Paterson; Harris, Windass, Reach
We say: Norwich City 1-0 Sheffield Wednesday
Both sides have selection issues, but the return of Teemu Pukki will be huge for Norwich and may well help them claim victory, along with the return of fans at Carrow Road. Wednesday possess limited attacking threat and could struggle to respond.
Top betting tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Norwich City win with a probability of 43.83%. A win for Sheffield Wednesday had a probability of 28.81% and a draw had a probability of 27.4%.
The most likely scoreline for a Norwich City win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.42%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.67%) and 2-0 (8.37%). The likeliest Sheffield Wednesday win was 0-1 (9.56%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.87%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with an 8.7% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Norwich City would win this match.