Norwich City

Image source, Rex Features

Norwich head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup said his side struggled to fathom out how to play against ten men after their nervy 1-0 win away against Watford.

Thorup said: "It was hard fought, but I'm pleased with the first half. I was really pleased with the start of the game.

"We were good and we were dominant. We should have been one-nil up after two minutes. It was a big chance for Sarge [Josh Sargent].

"After the red card the game changed a little bit. We should have done better in the second half. We were caught a little bit in-between whether to chase the second goal or whether we should just control the game.

"I'm pleased that we really didn't give anything away, but I'm not so pleased with the amount of chances we created."

Phil Daley
Radio Norfolk sports editor

Image source, Getty Images

Norwich City travel to Watford on Saturday (12:30 GMT), looking to secure back-to-back Championship wins after victory over Swansea last weekend.

City boss Johannes Hoff Thorup has spoken to the media ahead of the game and here are some of the key points:

• Midfielders Marcelino Nunez and Anis Ben Slimane are both out but will be back in training next week.

• Gabe Forsyth and Amankwah Forson continue to struggle with knee problems, so remain out. "I hope I have 11 players for tomorrow," says Throup.

• Borja Sainz remains part of the first-team group in training despite his six match ban. He will be absent from Saturday's fixture and the following match against Derby County.

• Matej Jurasek will join the group next week and will be part of the squad against Derby next weekend.

• On the prospect of doing some business before the end of the transfer window, Thorup said: "I hope we can do a little bit towards the end of the window, we have to use every window to get where we want."

• On Watford, who Norwich beat 4-1 earlier in the season, he added: "We will try and do some of the same things we did against them earlier this season, but we will have a much different line-up this time - they are a great team.

Image source, Getty Images

Norwich City midfielder Oscar Schwartau has drawn praise for his impressive performances this season since joining from Danish side Brondby in the summer.

The 18-year-old has made 24 Championship appearances for the Canaries, including in the 5-1 win over Swansea at Carrow Road last weekend.

Schwartau was one of two teenagers in the starting line-up against the Swans, with 19-year-old Lucien Mahovo also making his first start for the club.

"We have to talk about him because actually, for me, he is the unsung hero," said Chris Reeve, co-host of BBC Radio Norfolk's The Scrimmage podcast.

"He's 18, he's younger than Lucien [Mahovo] and he is brilliant. The ball carrying, the vision, the passing.

"And then to contrast Schwartau to Lucien - Lucien has got all of the physical attributes whereas I think Oscar, once he's beefed up in the summer, he's going to be a beast next season.

"So, in terms of all the young players, he's my man, he really is."

Fellow host Rob Butler agreed and added: "He is going to be some player.

"I think you're right and we've got to say that the Johannes Hoff Thorup connection and Glen Riddersholm [assistant coach] has brought him here, because clearly Ben Knapper [sporting director] got him but the Danish connection helped."

Schwartau has scored one goal so far for Norwich, which came in his excellent performance against Millwall on Boxing Day.

Listen to the Norwich City podcast The Scrimmage on BBC Sounds.

Watford welcome Norwich City to Vicarage Road on Saturday afternoon in a clash between two sides hoping to keep their play-off hopes alive.

The Hornets are ninth and have picked up just one win in their previous seven games (D1 L5), while the 11th-placed Canaries have won four of their past seven (D1 L2).

• Watford have won five of their past six home league games against Norwich City (L1), scoring 2+ goals in four of those victories.

• Norwich City have won each of their past two league games against Watford and will be looking to win three in succession for the first time since September 1984.

• Watford have lost each of their past three home league games, a run which directly followed an unbeaten streak of 15 outings for the Hornets at Vicarage Road beforehand (W10 D5).

• Norwich have won just one of their past 11 away league games (D4 L6), failing to score in four of their last six outings on the road in the Championship.

• Norwich's Josh Sargent has netted four league goals against Watford, his most against any side during his club career.

On the Scrimmage Daily, Chris Goreham and Rob Butler discussed fans' favourite Canary away shirts.

On Saturday, Norwich will change their strip to avoid a colour clash with Watford in the Championship. It's one of the rare games in which two teams meet each other who traditionally play in yellow.

You can listen to the episode here:

Get in touch with your favourite Norwich away kits, email thescrimmage@bbc.co.uk.

Image source, Getty Images

Norwich City have signed young midfielder Alan Domeracki from Dundee United for an undisclosed fee.

The 18-year-old has agreed a deal until 2027 and will initially link up with the Canaries' under-21 squad.

Domeracki has not made a first-team appearance for Dundee United but did feature for their B team in the Scottish Challenge Cup earlier this season.

He is the second player to make the move from Tannadice to Carrow Road this season after Brandon Forbes joined the Championship club in August, while Norwich midfielder Emmanuel Adegboyega is currently on loan with the Scottish Premiership club.

Image source, Getty Images

Norwich City defender Lucien Mahovo said it was a "great feeling" to make his first start for the club in the 5-1 win over Swansea on Saturday.

The 19-year-old was on loan at Boston United in National League North from Notts County less than a year ago, but was introduced as a substitute for the Canaries in the recent games at Sheffield United and Leeds United.

Mahovo started and played 65 minutes at left-back at Carrow Road against the Swans and said he was "nervous" but pleased to top off the occasion with victory.

"It's been a nervous one [this week]," he told BBC Radio Norfolk.

"After the Leeds game I could definitely feel the nerves because I knew I had the opportunity to start, but there's no point fighting it - I've just embraced it and I think I've performed well."

The teenager, who was signed by Norwich in July 2024, said he cannot complain about being "thrown in at the deep end".

"It's quick and you get a lot more adrenaline playing in front of 30,000 compared to five or 10 [thousand]," Mahovo said of the difference between the Championship and the lower leagues.

Mahovo said he is hoping to build on the opportunity with more starts, and added: "It's not just this one performance, I've got to keep building on it. It's got to be two, three, four and then make it a consistent thing."

Listen to Mahovo's post-match interview on BBC Sounds

Image source, Rex Features

Norwich City head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup spoke to BBC Radio Norfolk after the Canaries thrashed Swansea 5-1 at Carrow Road.

"It was important to win, we've struggled a bit with energy with not too many players available.

"It was a tough game even though the scoreline says something else. I am more satisfied with the character we showed.

"The game was probably decided by the third goal for us. I am pleased we continued going. We didn't try and slow the game down, we chased the next goal.

"Josh Sargent is a quality striker. The team will always be a bit different when he is not in it."

Rob Butler
BBC Radio Norfolk Canary Call presenter

Norwich City are back at home on Saturday after two gruelling away trips. The Canaries were beaten on the road by Sheffield United and Leeds United but next up it's Swansea City in the Championship at Carrow Road (12:30 GMT).

City boss Johannes Hoff Thorup has spoken to the media ahead of the game, here are some of the key points:

• Defender Jose Cordoba could be back and on the bench on Saturday. The Panamanian has missed the last two games with a knee injury.

• Striker Josh Sargent is set to start against Swansea. The USA international is back from a long term groin injury and has been used as a substitute in the last two games.

• Anis Ben Slimane will return to team training next week and could be part of the squad for Watford on 1 February.

• Thorup says it has been light training for the players following the game against Leeds on Wednesday night. He says he wants to make sure his squad have enough energy to get through the busy schedule.

You can listen to full live commentary of Norwich City versus Swansea City with BBC Radio Norfolk on FM and DAB. Coverage begins at 14:00 GMT on Saturday.

Norwich, Coventry, Swansea and Peterborough are among the EFL clubs keeping tabs on teenage Wales midfielder Joe Andrews, who plays for non-league Chippenham. (Football Insider, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column.

Swansea will seek to halt their slide down the Championship table as they head to Norwich on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

The Canaries are three places and two points above the 15th-placed Swans, with both sides having fallen away from the play-off race of late.

• Norwich City are winless across their past four league games against Swansea City (D1 L3), last enduring a longer run against the Welsh side between March 1925 and December 1936 (six games).

• Swansea City have won just two of their past 17 away league games against Norwich City (D4 L11), though are unbeaten on their last two visits to Carrow Road.

• Norwich have lost just two of their past 28 home league games (W17 D9), with the Canaries averaging 2.2 goals per game in that run.

• Swansea have lost each of their past three away league games and will be looking to avoid losing four in succession for the first time since March 2023.

• Norwich City's Josh Sargent has scored 15 goals across his last 19 Championship home games and could make his first league appearance at Carrow Road since October versus Middlesbrough.

Image source, Rex Features

Head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup spoke to BBC Radio Norfolk after Norwich's defeat to Leeds.

"On Saturday we found a bit of flow and rhythm and created more dangerous moments than we did today.

"Today it was obvious for us to see that we need those (extra) 10/15 per cent to realistically say that we can compete against Leeds - that's not where we are.

"We tried to give it a shot but it was not enough."

The Canaries head coach would not comment on whether Leeds midfielder Ao Tanaka deserved a second yellow card early in the second half.

"I can't say much because that would be the headine about the game and the fact is they were better than us," he said.

"Of course, the game picture could have changed a little bit, but we have to admit that we not in a place at the moment where we can go out and play against Leeds away and say that we have to win."

Thorup also said his injury-hit squad was unlikely to have anyone back from the treatment table before Saturday's match with Swansea.

He said: "The same players have to play all the games and they have to do it all over again on Saturday with not much recovery, so you will not be hearing me blame anyone. We have to solve the situation and deal with it."

Phil Daley
Radio Norfolk sports editor

Image source, Getty Images

Norwich City make another trip to Yorkshire on Wednesday night as they take on Leeds United at Elland Road (19:45 GMT).

In preparation for the game, head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup addressed the media and here are the key lines from his news conference:

• No players have recovered from injury. Norwich go to Leeds with the same availability as they had for Sheffield United on Saturday.

• Thorup says its's about "surviving for the next few games" while the injured players recover.

• Despite no shots on target against Sheffield United, Thorup says shots on target are not the best examples of good play. They had some good passages on Saturday that didn't end with a shot - but it was still good play.

• On the risk vs reward of playing out from the back, "we want to avoid duels in the game, we get that from a goal-kick. That's an open game and more random - we want control."

• On goalkeeper Angus Gunn - who is out of contract in the summer, Thorup said: "I hope that he is eager to learn and take the next steps in his career. He has taken some big steps with being comfortable on the ball, I think there has been improvement." Thorup says the club will have a conversation with him and his agent but other clubs will be interested.

• On facing Leeds at Elland Road, he said: "The are the toughest test for us at the moment, but that's what makes it exciting."

• Despite the quality in Leeds' squad, Thorup says he still believes the Canaries can win and he's looking at which of his players will step up and make an impact.

Leeds United will attempt to stay on top of the Championship as they host Norwich City on Wednesday (19:45 GMT).

Both sides faced clubs from Sheffield last time out, however, the league leaders fared the better, defeating Wednesday while the Canaries lost to promotion contenders United.

The win for Leeds extended their unbeaten streak to 10 games across all competitions, while they have not lost at Elland Road since September.

• Leeds are unbeaten across their past five league games against Norwich (W4 D1); the Whites last enjoyed a longer undefeated run against them between September 1963 and August 1975 (seven games).

• Norwich have won two of their past 11 away league games against Leeds (W2 D3 L6) and will look to avoid losing three in succession at Elland Road for the first time since December 1973.

• Leeds have not lost any of their midweek league games at home since returning to the Championship in the 2023-24 season (W7 D2), though they did draw their last such game 1-1 with Blackburn Rovers on New Year's Day.

• Norwich are unbeaten in their past four midweek league games, winning three of them (W3 D1).

• Dan James has provided four assists in his last six games against Norwich, including one in both previous matches for Leeds at Elland Road.

Image source, Getty Images

Norwich City boss Johannes Hoff Thorup spoke to BBC Radio Norfolk after their four-match unbeaten run came to an end with defeat at Sheffield United.

"We expected to be more on the ball because that's the way they approach the game so it's not that important for me.

"I expected us to dominate but I also expected us to be able to take better care of the chances that we got into.

"We had many situations in the box and around the box and offensive transitions, but the quality of decisions in the final third was below standard.

"I'm frustrated and disappointed about that because I think there was something for us in this game tonight and the goals we conceded are down to our own sloppiness in two vital moments."