Norwich City vs Derby County takes place on Tuesday night at Carrow Road, with the Canaries hosting their penultimate home game of the Championship season at 7: 45 p. m. ET. The match arrives after both sides picked up victories at the weekend, with Norwich City winning at Bristol City and Derby County beating Oxford United at Pride Park.
The key issue before kick-off is fitness. Philippe Clement said there are “a few issues” in the Norwich camp, but he did not name the players who may need late checks before Norwich City vs Derby County.
Late fitness calls shape Norwich City Vs Derby County
Norwich City will be without left back Ben Chrisene after a specialist visit for a shoulder injury that has been managed for some time. Lucien Mahovo and Harry Amass remain sidelined with muscular problems, while Shane Duffy has not played since November.
Top scorer Jovon Makama is still working back from a broken foot, although he has an outside chance of returning before the season ends. Ante Crnac and Mirko Topic are out for the rest of the campaign with ACL injuries, while Matej Jurasek and Papa Amadou Diallo are also unavailable.
For Derby County, the picture is mixed as they try to keep pressure on the Championship top six. Derry Murkin is poised to return at Carrow Road, Callum Elder is expected to miss out, and Dion Sanderson, who limped out of the Oxford win, is likely to feature. Patrick Agyemang, Rhian Brewster and Bobby Clark are all ruled out.
Form, pressure and the table picture
Norwich City enter the night after a comeback 4-2 win at Bristol City, a result that extended their run of avoiding successive defeats under Clement. Derby County, meanwhile, arrive looking to return to winning ways on the road after a narrow 2-1 defeat at Southampton in their previous away match.
The league picture adds urgency. Norwich City sit one place and five points behind Derby, with the Rams in the stronger position as they chase the play-off places. For Norwich City vs Derby County, that gap gives the visitors a clear incentive to protect their standing while the hosts try to finish strongly at home.
Immediate reaction from both camps
Clement kept his comments guarded when asked about fitness concerns, saying only: “We have a few issues. ” He also described Derby as “a big challenge, ” adding that the belief in their play-off push is “really big there. ”
On the Norwich side, Clement said Harry Darling has “been much more consistent and has stepped up, ” while noting the defender has been covering for Ruairi McConville. The head coach said he is being careful not to rush McConville back after a short injury lay-off.
What happens next at Carrow Road
Norwich City vs Derby County has extra edge because of recent history at Carrow Road, where Norwich have lost three of the last four meetings against Derby. The visitors are also chasing their first league double over the Canaries since 2008/09, which gives this fixture another layer of pressure.
With late fitness decisions still pending and both sides arriving off the back of wins, Tuesday night should reveal whether Norwich City can use home advantage or whether Derby County can make another major step in the race near the top of the table. Norwich City vs Derby County now looks set to be decided as much by availability as by form.
