Norwich City take on Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day in the first of a doubleheader of home games against Midlands promotion candidates.
Forest are looking to get back into the promotion mix and currently sit seventh in the table on 35 points. They are another of those teams that are capable of beating anyone, home or away and will know that the Christmas period could be crucial in getting back into the top six.
We’ll all be sweating on the fitness of Emi Buendia (dead leg) and Mo Leitner (ankle) but the likelihood is that both will be missing on Boxing Day. I hope I’m wrong but a dead leg usually takes about a week to clear up and we’re to hear anything about Mo.
If there’s any doubt at all, then expect Mario Vrancic to continue alongside Alex Tettey in the middle of the Park, with Onel Hernandez replacing Buendia.
Grant Hanley is back fit and looking to get back in but with Timm Klose likely to be available as well, the competition for a central defensive berth looks fierce.
Daniel Farke hasn’t been one to replace players for the sake of it if they are playing well and Zimmermann and Godfrey are both in possession of a shirt each, so, we’ll see. If one of them is replaced (other than through injury) then expect it to be Godfrey with Klose renewing his partnership with Zimbo.
Forest have plenty of injuries themselves and will be without defender Michael Dawson, forward Hilal Soudani and right back Sam Byram until the new year.
Danny Fox could be available again but Tobias Figueiredo is likely to miss out with a dead leg of his own that forced him off in the 1-0 defeat at QPR.
Old sparring partners, Lewis Grabban and Daryl Murphy will be a threat regardless of which of them starts the game and hopefully they can both leave Norfolk disappointed on Wednesday evening.
If you’re going, make sure you take your scarf and get involved in the sea of yellow and green.
BRING YOUR SCARVES AGAIN. To complement the extra 200 flags we've just delivered to the club, bring your scarves to be held aloft for OTBC again on Boxing Day. Let's make Carrow Road a sea of yellow and green. RTs welcome #ncfc pic.twitter.com/xFdlCWHBXu
— AlongComeNorwich (@AlongComeNodge) December 24, 2018
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ON THE BALL CITY!