Norwich City

• Norwich have won just one of their last seven home games against Leeds in all competitions (D2 L4), losing each of the last three in a row. Their meeting at Carrow Road in the regular Championship season finished 3-2 to the Whites

• Leeds have won each of their last four games against Norwich in all competitions, with this their first meeting in the Football League play-offs

• This is just Norwich’s third appearance in the Football League play-offs, all in the second tier. They lost the 2002 final against Birmingham City on penalties, before beating Middlesbrough in 2015 to reach the Premier League

• Leeds have never won promotion via the Football League play-offs, with this their sixth appearance. They lost 4-3 on aggregate to Frank Lampard’s Derby County in the 2018-19 semi-final in their most recent appearance

• Norwich have won both of their home legs in the Football League play-offs by a 3-1 scoreline (vs Wolves in 2001-02 and Ipswich Town in 2014-15)

• Since the second tier rebrand to the Championship in 2004, the team finishing third has won promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs almost 50% of the time (9/19)

Norwich City supporters gave their players a warm welcome as the team coach arrived on Sunday morning.

The Canaries face Leeds United in the Championship play-off semi-final first leg (12:00 BST).

Norwich City face Leeds United in the first leg of the Championship play-off semi-final on Sunday (12:00 BST).

You can listen to full live coverage from 11:00 BST with BBC Radio Norfolk on FM, DAB and Freeview.

Guest summarisers are Simon Lappin and Adrian Coote.

Norwich City host Leeds United in the first leg of the Championship play-off semi-final on Sunday at 12:00 BST.

City head coach David Wagner says he will share in supporters' excitement when the game kicks off.

You can listen to full live coverage with BBC Radio Norfolk on FM, DAB and Freeview.

Image source, Getty Images

Former Norwich City manager Nigel Worthington led the team to promotion to the Premier League in 2004. Two seasons earlier, he was the boss when City lost in the First Division play-off final to Birmingham City on penalties at Cardiff's Millenium Stadium.

The Canaries finished sixth in the regular season that year.

'Worthy' spoke to BBC Radio Norfolk's Chris Goreham about his play-off experiences and said the current Canaries team should be comfortable with being the underdog in their semi-final against Leeds United:

"I always liked to be the underdog because the focus and the pressure is on the team that finished higher in the league.

"While they get all the attention, you can set yourself up and get on about your business in training and get the preparation and focus 100 per cent right for what you are about to endure. I think it can be a plus."

He continued: "The fact Norwich are at home first against Leeds, if they can get a very good result there because it will be very very dificult at Elland Road where the crowd are going to be up for it.

"I think it's just about focus, preparation, keeping your nerve and then go out and perform."

You can listen to the full interview with Nigel Worthington on BBC Sounds here.

Here is part two of Norwich City defender Jack Stacey speaking to BBC Radio Norfolk's Rob Butler.

Stacey will be part of the Canaries' squad who face Leeds United in the Championship play-off semi-final first leg at Carrow Road on Sunday (12:00 BST):

Image source, Rob Butler/BBC

Opinion: 'Forget what's at stake, make play-offs special'

Susannah George

Where were you when?

How many times do we do this to each other and ask this question? For Norwich City fans, the majority of us will be able to recall almost instantaneously where we were for the May 2015 play-off final at Wembley, the second leg of the playoffs against 1p5wich, the victory against Man City, the Cup game where we beat Spurs on penalties, even where we were when we beat Bayern Munich.

Not only will we be able to recall where we were but probably exactly who we were with, what we ate that day, what we were wearing and maybe even the after effects of heavy celebration.

Those games are up there, certainly for me (insofar as I was around) as some of our finest. All remembered fondly as moments of pure jubilation I spent with some of my nearest. And I'm sure there are countless others.

The same cannot be said for some of our losses. Unless it formed part of a day out with someone close to me, I cannot remember when we went out of 'x' cup run having lost to 'y', or the last game of the season where we finished mid-table/relegation, certainly not with the same clarity anyway.

As we go into play-offs we all know the potential outcomes, I am sure we have all run the various scenarios in our heads. Of course there are mixed emotions but we shouldn't let that get in the way of enjoying a journey that one day we could be looking back at with the same fondness as some of our finest moments.

Let's make sure we enjoy this journey, which we, all of us, the team, the club and supporters, have earned!

Let's ensure we share it with our friends and our families.

Let's build core memories that, whatever the outcome, we will be glad of.

Because who knows?

We have a 1 in 4 chance for this to be something epic which we and maybe even future generations will look to as a benchmark one day.

Let's make it special!

Image source, Susannah George

Norwich City defender Jack Stacey spoke to BBC Radio Norfolk's Rob Butler ahead of the Canaries' Championship play-off semi-final.

The first leg of the tie against Leeds United is on Sunday at 12:00 GMT.

Here is part one of their chat:

Norwich City head coach David Wagner spoke to BBC Radio Norfolk's Phil Daley ahead of Sunday's play-off semi-final first leg against Leeds United.

Wagner was asked about Shane Duffy's status going into the tie.

Duffy was arrested and charged with a drink-driving offence on Monday.

Norwich City head coach David Wagner has been speaking to the media ahead of Sunday's Championship play-off semi-final first leg against Leeds United at Carrow Road (12:00 GMT).

Here are some of the key points:

• Defender Shane Duffy has trained normally all week, Wagner indicated he will be available for selection this weekend. Duffy was arrested and charged with a drink-driving offence on Monday

• Striker Ashley Barnes will miss the first leg with a calf injury, but Christian Fassnacht is back after missing the Birmingham game

• Wagner says Sunday is 'another big game' of many his team have had in recent months. "We are used to it", he says

• On Leeds United: "There are no secrets - they know more or less everything about us, we know more or less everything about them"

• Wagner says he is happy for the Canaries to be classed as the underdogs in the two-legged game against Leeds

• Wagner on his play-off experience: "If you've done it and been successful, you are quite confident." Wagner led Huddersfield to promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs in 2017

Leigh Bromby is a former Leeds United and Norwich City defender, he worked with current City boss David Wagner at Huddersfield Town.

Bromby says Leeds will need picking up by manager Daniel Farke after failing to claim automatic promotion to the Premier League.

Norwich host Leeds in the first leg of the play-off semi-finals at Carrow Road on Sunday (12:00 BST).

Former Norwich City and Leeds United defender Leigh Bromby says the Canaries will be the most well prepared team in the Championship play-offs.

Bromby was working as a coach at Huddersfield Town when current Norwich boss David Wagner led the Terriers to promotion to the Premier League in 2017.

The Canaries play Leeds over two legs in the play-off semi finals, the winner will meet Southampton or West Brom at Wembley in the final on 26 May.

Opinion: 'Who cares? We care, David!'

Matthew Soakell, North East Canary

I’ve criticised David Wagner this season when I feel he’s been worthy of criticism and I’ve also praised him for his second half of the season turn around. Do I think Norwich City finishing in the play-offs is a success? No. Do I think given that where we were at Christmas, that Wagner’s done well in 2024? Yes. That said, as Norwich limped over the line on Saturday at St Andrew’s after a dismal performance, my first thought was "If we play like that against Leeds, we haven’t got a chance". So when I heard Wagner say “It wasn’t great but to be totally honest, who cares?” after the game, honestly I was seething! And I’ll tell you for why…

My frustrations aimed at City’s head coach are nothing personal; he comes across as a lovely man who I’d have a pint with. But we all know the play-offs are all about momentum and we’ve lost any possible momentum in our last three games. Two draws and a lacklustre defeat meant we passed up the chance to finish 5th and with it, there was a fair bit of optimism and positivity sucked out of the fans as a consequence.

I know we’re in the play-offs.

We might get to Wembley.

We might get promoted.

I’m not saying let’s be negative — far from it!

However, Wagner’s comments were almost him saying “I’ve done what I was tasked with doing and I don’t care how we’ve done it”. This surely isn’t the attitude to have going into two - hopefully three - huge games?

If we were in the Premier League and we’d survived by playing poorly but we’d got over the line, then the sentiment would be totally different. But we aren’t. We have one of the highest wage bills in this league and fans - rightly or wrongly - demand more than what we’ve seen against Bristol City, Swansea City and Birmingham City of late.

So here’s hoping that Wagner, his team and staff are up for Sunday’s game against Leeds United. I know the fans will be. We definitely care. And I know that he cares, but there are ways and means to get or keep fans onside; there are ways and means to go into the play-offs; Wagner’s not quite helped himself with either of these, but let’s be loud and proud this weekend and show the whole footballing world watching just how much we care!

You can listen to David Wagner's full post-match interview after the Birmingham game here.

Rob Butler and Jack Reeve called for positivity from Norwich City supporters ahead of a two-legged play-off semi-final against Leeds United.

The first leg is on Sunday at Carrow Road (12:00 GMT)

Download the full Scrimmage podcast here.

Norwich City supporter Tim Merchant had his car smashed up while watching the Canaries play Birmingham City at St Andrew's.

Mr Merchant was special guest on the week's Scrimmage podcast.

He told Rob Butler and Jack Reeve all about what happened:

You can listen and subscribe to The Scrimmage podcast here.

Opinion: Time for Wagner to 'never mind the danger'

Gary Gowers, My Football Writer - Norwich City, external

In typical Norwich City fashion, their narrow 1-0 defeat by relegated Birmingham on the final day of the regular season divided opinion.

For some, it was fine. Despite losing, the result was still sufficient for the Canaries to earn their place in the play-offs. In doing so, they picked up no new injuries and spread the workload - giving game time to those who needed it and resting those who needed protecting.

In theory, nothing not to like.

But for others, producing such a dire performance – something that no one could contest – was not the ideal preparation for the play-offs, particularly given that City were being talked up seven days earlier as likely to be the most in-form of the four playoff teams.

It’s probably only right at this stage to declare an interest and say I was in the latter group – one of the ‘others’.

But I can wholeheartedly see where the ‘some’ were coming from and, ultimately all that mattered, if looking at the bigger picture, was being in the play-offs with a relatively fit squad.

Ironically, we now find ourselves pitched against the team that enters the play-offs off the back of a run of form that sees them 22nd in the form table, with a record of won 1, drawn 1, and lost 4.

Strip away the fact they are called Leeds United, are managed by Daniel Farke, and have, on paper, a squad that’s already equipped to compete in the lower half of the Premier League, and you would have to fancy City's chances.

Even taking into account the infamous 'along come Norwich' factor, logic suggests we have a more-than-fighting chance of going toe-to-toe with Yorkshire’s Los Blancos, and should have no reason to fear them.

And I really really hope that’s a sentiment shared by David Wagner. And I hope too that it’s one he shares with his players.

Because, for all the good things that Wagner has produced over the second half of this season, one of the ongoing criticisms has been around how he sets his team up to play opponents he deems technically superior.

Cautious would be one way to describe it. Tentative would be another.

What it isn’t is gung-ho and, to be honest, we’re all cool with that. To go all-guns-blazing against good sides exposes gaps for those sides to exploit. But it is okay to still be brave and play on the front foot when the opportunity presents itself.

For many of us, Wagner has struggled to find that right balance.

But Leeds, regardless of the bravado that will emerge from West Yorkshire in the next few days, are wobbling. Even, in some quarters, a tiny bit fearful.

So please let’s not hand the initiative to Farke’s men on Sunday and allow them to play themselves back into some form.

Be bold, be positive, and allow a thunderous Carrow Road to do the rest.

Never mind the danger.

Opinion: Learning from play-off history

Steve Sanders, @ncfcnumbers, external

Let’s stop short of saying "I don't care" but there really wasn’t much to write home about on Saturday, was there?

So, instead, time to travel further back and look at some Championship play-off history for five key indicators and what they tell us about Norwich City’s chances. (Be warned: if you are of a positive disposition, this may not make for enjoyable reading.)

Starting with a sobering one. Since the four-team play-offs were introduced in the second-tier 35 years ago, there hasn’t ever been a points deficit between two teams as large as the 17 between Leeds United and Norwich City this year. Never. As in not once.

The Canaries can take a little heart from the fact that on the other occasion in the past 20 years where the gap’s been as much as 15 points, it was the underdogs who came out on top (Sheffield Wednesday v Chris Hughton’s Brighton in 2016). But that remains the only time a side more than 12 points worse off than their opponents in the regular season has won a play-off semi-final at this level. So yeah, bit of a mountain to climb.

‘The play-offs are a lottery’, right? Well, not really, no. The benefit of home advantage in the second-leg – not to mention the added quality of a higher league finish – is substantial enough that eight of the last ten promoted teams have come from 3rd or 4th placed finishers. As it goes, the other two were managed by two guys called Dean Smith and David Wagner.

That said, of the last 50 play-off semi-final ties, the away team in the second leg has progressed 17 times. That’s basically a third – so forget the points difference for 180 minutes and it’s not an insurmountable task. The real lesson here though? Don’t lose your home leg. Of those 17, nine won at home, seven drew, and the sheering insanity of Frank Lampard’s Derby losing the first-leg to Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds and toppling them at Elland Road remains the only outlier.

Defensively, Norwich City have shored things up in the second half of the season – conceding 25 compared to 39 in the first-half. That’s 64 goals over the entire campaign then, the ninth worst record in the Championship.

Brace yourselves, because no team has ever been promoted to the Premier League having conceded more than 62 (incidentally Southampton have shipped 63, so they too would be making history here…). On the plus side, of the five sides to have gone up conceding 60 or more, three stayed up the following season. So once we’re there, it’ll be plain sailing.

Another slice of history that would accompany a Norwich City 2024 promotion would be allying it with some epically shaky away form.

Only Bolton in 1995 have gone up with fewer away points than the Canaries’ 24 this season, and four of the previous six play-off winners have had the best away record of the four competing teams that season. If records are there to be broken, then there could be some serious shattering at Elland Road a week on Thursday.

One of the strangest quirks of this season’s play-offs is that no team is coming into it in any real form. In the last five seasons, only Bielsa’s Leeds in 2018/19 (again) have come into the play-off campaign with fewer than nine points from their final six games. This season, none of the four teams has more than nine from their previous six.

Extend that form guide to 10 games and you get a pretty good idea of your victors. Seven of the last 10 Championship Play-Off winners have had the best record from the final ten matches of the season of the competing teams, and the other three have had the second-best record going in. So at last this column can bring a slice of good news: this season’s ‘in-form’ team over the last ten games? Norwich City.

The Scrimmage discussed David Wagner's comments following the Birmingham City defeat on Saturday.

You can listen to his full interview here.

The full episode of the Scrimmage podcast is here.

Rob Butler is joined by guest co-host Jack Reeve for this week's Scrimmage podcast.

The pair look back to defeat at Birmingham and preview the upcoming Championship play-off semi-final against Leeds United.

Plus, they are joined by Tim Merchant who had a very difficult day in the Midlands after watching the Canaries.

Head to BBC Sounds to download the podcast here.

'If you can’t cope with the possibility of a loss, don’t go' - Your views

Here's some more of your views on Saturday's defeat at Birmingham for Norwich City.

We also asked what you thought about David Wagner's post match comments, (his full interview is here):

Lorraine - I have been to worse away games, but it wasn't a great watch for the fans that had travelled to Birmingham and spent hard-earned cash. Then to hear Wagner's comments was a kick in the teeth. I left St Andrew's, not excited that we were in the play-offs, but disappointed that Wagner's tactics spoiled another day out.

Lenny - Last game of the season, happy to lose 1-0. The man’s a motivational and tactical genius! We got into the play-offs despite Wagner rather than because of him. I doubt we will go up but even if we do Wagner must be replaced in the summer if we are going to move the club forward.

Dave - Disappointing result and performance against Birmingham. A winning mentality is hard to beat and concerns over other recent games which have not been of high enough quality to secure all three points - Bristol (City) and Swansea. The crowd will be up, now just need the team to show what they are capable of as on their day they are brilliant. Come on you yellows!!

Darren - Wagner again made some significant tactical blunders, an ongoing trend that means he should not be the answer for NCFC next season. Success this season has seemed to be down to individual player’s ability, rather than quality management. I hope we win and go up, but either way Wagner has served his time.

Richard - We all know what Wagner meant - the main thing was qualifying for the playoffs and he achieved that. There is a group of fans who think they are somehow doing something noble by going to an away football match. You’re not. It’s entertainment. If you can’t cope with the possibility of a loss, don’t go. Spend some time with your family instead.