Cardiff City will line up a largely youth-filled side for their Carabao Cup clash with Norwich City on Tuesday. Manager Brian Barry-Murphy is forced to shuffle the squad after injuries to key defenders and a lack of new signings.
Injury crisis
The Bluebirds have already been forced to improvise at the back, with Perry Ng and Joel Bagan filling in at centre-half during Saturday's 2-2 draw with Derby County after Gabriel Osho joined Will Fish and Dylan Lawlor on the injury list. Barry-Murphy is acutely aware of the need to protect his players, with Cardiff facing their second mid-week game of the season and the Championship campaign already stretching a squad short of options. Asked how he was preparing for Tuesday's cup tie after Scanlon had completed his first 90 minutes in around two and a half years at Derby, Barry-Murphy said: “Obviously we’ll reassess the players after Calum Scanlon’s first 90 minutes in maybe two and a half years, so we just have to be careful of exposing players like that again.”
Youthful options
Cardiff had hoped to strengthen before the Norwich game, with Barry-Murphy saying after Saturday's draw that he expected a new signing to arrive before Tuesday. However, any new arrival would have had to be registered by midday on Monday to be eligible for the cup tie, and that now looks unlikely. The cup presents an opportunity for players who have had limited first-team exposure. Harry Tyrer looks the logical choice to start in goal, while Ronan Kpakio could start at centre-half to rediscover the form he showed 12 months ago. Thierry Katsukunya, the 20-year-old summer signing from Aston Villa, could also be handed a first-team opportunity at centre-half. Joel Bagan, a versatile defender, may retain his place due to his experience and composure.
Noah Anyadike, a 15-year-old who has been among the substitutes for Cardiff’s opening matches, could be given a senior debut. Anyadike would become Cardiff’s youngest player and youngest starter if he were to feature from the outset, surpassing the records currently held by Axel Donczew and Rob Tankiewicz. Even if he didn’t start, he would likely come on from the bench and break the youngest-player record.
Possible line-up
Eli King feels like the natural candidate to come into the midfield, with David Turnbull and Joel Colwill suited to play alongside him. Isaak Davies looks a strong candidate for a start out wide, while Cian Ashford or Rob Tankiewicz could be considered on the opposite flank. Callum Robinson is likely to lead the line, with Yousef Salech having impressed in Saturday’s draw at Derby.
The possible XI includes Tyrer; Kpakio, Katsukunya, Bagan, Anyadike; King, Turnbull, J. Colwill; Davies, Robinson, Ashford.
