Birmingham City team news ahead of Norwich City clash
Birmingham City were without both Tomoki Iwata and Kyogo Furuhashi on Sunday as Blues pushed Leeds United all the way in a gripping FA Cup fourth-round tie.
Blues showed plenty of character, fighting back to earn a 1-1 draw against their Premier League opponents. Patrick Roberts struck a stunning 89th-minute equaliser to cancel out Lukas Nmecha’s opener and force extra time. Neither side could find a winner across the additional 30 minutes before Leeds prevailed 4-2 on penalties.
While there was pride in the performance, Birmingham may have benefitted from having Iwata and Kyogo available, particularly as fatigue crept in during the latter stages. In Iwata’s case, he would likely have started had he been fit.
Speaking after the match, head coach Chris Davies confirmed both players were sidelined with minor injury concerns.
“Both injury issues but not big ones. I’m pretty sure they are both minor ones,” Davies explained.
On Iwata specifically, Davies added: “He’s got a couple of things. He’s been playing more minutes than anyone else and naturally he’s taken a bit of a break, but we’re confident that he’s feeling better day by day so I’m hoping he’ll be okay moving forward.”
Iwata had also started on the bench in the recent 0-0 Championship draw with West Bromwich Albion — the first time all season he had not started a league match — suggesting the issue had been lingering.
As for Kyogo, the former Celtic forward has largely been used as a substitute this season. Since his high-profile move from Stade Rennais last winter, he has scored just once in 26 Championship appearances, falling short of expectations.
Blues will now hope both players recover in time for this weekend’s trip to Norwich as they look to build momentum in the league.
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