JUST IN: Injury report for Birmingham City vs. Ipswich Town: six out, one doubt.

 

On Saturday, November 4, Birmingham City will play high-flying Ipswich Town at St Andrew’s in the EFL Championship, returning to the home crowd.

After three straight losses, Wayne Rooney is still without a win, and when Ipswich visits town, it doesn’t get any easier for him. The recently promoted team is currently nine points ahead of third-place Leeds United after having an incredible start to the season.

Last time out they fell behind to Plymouth Argyle but recovered and won 3-2 thanks to an own goal from Bali Mumba, and goals from George Hirst and Marcus Harness. As for Birmingham, they suffered a 3-1 defeat to Southampton in the lunch-time kick-off but there was some controversy surrounding the referee’s decision not to award Birmingham a penalty following an apparent foul on Oliver Burke from goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu.

The Tractor Boys were in action on Wednesday night, exiting the Carabao Cup at the round of 16 stage after losing 3-1 to Fulham at Portman Road. Several changes were made with the likes of Christian Walton and former Aston Villa man Axel Tuanzebe making their first appearances of the season and so we should see several changes from former Manchester United coach Kieran McKenna on Saturday.

The last meeting between these two sides was a 1-1 draw back in April 2019. Lukas Jutkiewicz opened the scoring for Birmingham and then Gwion Edwards equalised, but it wasn’t enough as the result relegated Ipswich from the Championship. Jutkiewicz and Marc Roberts are the only Blus remaining players from that match.

Without further ado, here’s the latest injury and team news from both Blues and the Tractor Boys camps:

1. Keshi Anderson – out
Anderson sustained a hamstring injury against QPR in late September. He has missed the last five games, and will likely miss out again.

2. Wes Burns – out
Sidelined with a shoulder injury that he picked up whilst on international duty with Wales in mid-October

3. Wes Burns – out (continued)
“Hopefully there is no requirement for surgery,” said Kieran McKenna. He’s out of the sling and he’s starting to do some exercises in the gym. “As I said, it will be in and around the international break before he can get going again.”

4. Ethan Laird – fit
Amongst the substitutes against Cheltenham. He hasn’t played since mid August, but his return is a welcome one.

5. Freddie Ladapo – fit
Ladapo was an unused substitute for Ipswich in their win against Plymouth and then started against Fulham. He’s recovered from his injury last week, and is ready to be called upon.

6. Alfie Chang – out
Suffered a ACL injury in mid-August and is out for the remainder of the season. He’s out of contract next summer so there is a decision to be made.

7. Lee Evans – out
He will be out for ‘several months’ after undergoing knee surgery. He suffered an MCL injury 65 minutes in to his first league start of the season back in October.

8. Lee Evans – out (continued)
“Lee Evans, unfortunately, has an injury on his MCL. He’s going to have surgery,” said boss Kieran McKenna. “He’s had the issue a couple of times and hasn’t had the surgical repair,” added McKenna. “ He can fully recover and we’re confident this will set him on a better path for the next few years of his career.”

9. Axel Tuanzebe – fit
Amongst the substitutes against Plymouth last week and then made his long-awaited debut against Fulham.

10. George Hall: doubtful
George Hall resumed first-team training alongside Ethan Laird last week. He has been dealing with a hamstring injury which was his third in four months. Hall could find himself on the bench before the international break is out.

11. Tyler Roberts – out
Roberts has been out since the start of the campaign. He suffered a calf injury against Swansea City, and hasn’t played since.

12. Lee Buchanan – out
Buchanan suffered an ankle injury in a training session, and his absence has been costly. His presence has been missed, and before his absence he helped boast one of the best defensive records in the league.

13. Lee Buchanan, Keshi Anderson and Tyler Roberts – out (continued)
Wayne Rooney said to BirminghamLive: “The other lads who are injured will all be after the international break. We need to build their fitness up.”