10 players set to miss Norwich City v Birmingham City ft £6m ace | OneFootball

FLW have looked at the players set to miss Wednesday night's fixture at Carrow Road

After another hectic weekend of Championship action, a handful of clubs will be hoping to continue gathering momentum through a second round of midweek matches at the beginning of September.

Two of those are Norwich City and Birmingham City, with Philippe Clement and Chris Davies' sides facing off at Carrow Road on Wednesday night in a 7:45PM kick-off.

The Canaries are currently sat 12th in the Championship having won two and lost three of their first five encounters, whilst Blues are one of just two sides yet to be defeated after an extremely draw-heavy start to the season which sees them sit 10th.

The two managers certainly have plenty of difference-makers to call upon in order to record a crucial early-season victory, but it must be said that they are also without the services of some key players at present.

There is currently a combined total of 10 players unavailable to Clement and Davies ahead of this clash, and Football League World have looked at each of their individual predicaments.

Norwich City

Gabe Forsyth

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The first of five Norwich absentees is Scottish youth international, Gabe Forsyth.

The 19-year-old has been sidelined for approximately 18 months with a serious knee injury, but is now stepping up his long-awaited recovery.

It may not be too long until the 2023 signing is back in action though, having started to feature for City's Under-21s earlier this month.

Lucien Mahovo

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Left-back Lucien Mahovo remains on the treatment table for Norwich after sustaining an ankle ligament issue against Colchester United in pre-season.

After starting to make his senior breakthrough at Carrow Road, it was revealed that the 21-year-old's development would be set back two to three months as a result.

Mirko Topic

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City parted with £3.5m to sign Serbian international, Mirko Topic, from Liga Portugal outfit Famalicao last summer, but supporters are yet to fully see what the 25-year-old can provide.

After Norwich's early-season struggles last term, Topic then sustained an ACL blow against Oxford United in Clement's second match in charge last November, although it remains to be seen when he will return to full fitness.

Ali Ahmed

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Canadian international Ali Ahmed lit up the Carrow Road stage following his £1.4m move from Vancouver Whitecaps in January, but has been cruelly denied the chance to build on a tally of seven goal contributions in just 21 outings.

The 25-year-old is currently at the start of a long road to recovery after sustaining an ACL injury in his right knee in the final week of pre-season.

Jovon Makama

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Jovon Makama's first season in the Championship was extremely impressive, yet unfortunately curtailed in February with a foot injury.

The forward then aggravated the same issue in pre-season, which has left him on the back foot in terms of fitness, although it remains to be seen when he will be brought back into the fold by Clement, who revealed last week that he was closing in on a return to competitive involvement.

Birmingham City

Taylor Gardner-Hickman

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The first of five unavailable for Birmingham is Taylor Gardner-Hickman.

The 25-year-old, who spent last season on loan with Blackburn Rovers, was part of Davies' pre-season plans before picking up an injury against Burton Albion in mid-July.

Although the specific details are still unknown, it is hoped Gardner-Hickman will return to training during the upcoming international break.

Marc Leonard

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Marc Leonard is expected to be sidelined until the turn of 2027 after rupturing his achilles in the final week of his loan spell at Hearts in May.

The Scotsman had previously found minutes hard to come by at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, although his current woes put pay to an expected summer transfer.

He has also been omitted from Davies' 25-man squad as a result.

Max Bird

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After coming on as a substitute for his debut at Sheffield United three weeks ago, Max Bird has been sidelined since the week leading up to the 2-2 draw with his former club, Bristol City.

The summer recruit suffered a lower leg issue, but like the aforementioned Gardner-Hickman, could return to action the other side of the upcoming three-week international break.

Jhon Solis

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A notable absentee from Birmingham's lineup against Wolves on Sunday lunchtime was that of £6m midfielder, Jhon Solis.

The Colombian had been an ever-present in the Championship since his return from Girona FC was confirmed in June, but his absence comes through a knock sustained in the 1-1 draw with Southampton on September 1st.

“He’s going to be a week to 10 days we think. We’ll just have to see how he goes day by day," Davies explained in his post-match press conference.

Scott Wright

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The final absentee for either side is Scottish winger, Scott Wright.

The 29-year-old has found it tough to source gametime for Blues since suffering a serious injury against Reading in February 2025.

Despite featuring as a substitute in the EFL Cup victory over Swansea City and making the bench against Wrexham last month, the former Rangers man, despite being expected to leave the club, has remained in the West Midlands.