Birmingham City injury news before the Championship clash with Wrexham on Friday night (8pm)
Birmingham City have two new injury problems going into the final match before the international break.
Blues are looking to end a testing run of Championship fixtures with a victory over Wrexham on Friday night but manager Chris Davies is dealing with a lengthening injury list.
Bright Osayi-Samuel and Jay Stansfield were both withdrawn during Tuesday’s draw with Sheffield Wednesday due to foot injuries. Davies should provide further updates on the pair at his press conference today.
Blues will be without Ethan Laird for a long period due to a hamstring injury and Marvin Ducksch faces a stint on the sidelines.
“Ethan is unfortunately an injury that will take him some time, a few months, which is a real blow. A real blow to him and us,” Davies said. “He’s had it assessed and looked at, and unfortunately it was as bad as we feared it would be. We won’t see him for a few months.
“Marvin is a few weeks, so there’s nothing long-term with that, but unfortunately Ethan will be longer.”
Here is the rundown of Blues’ injury issues…
Bright Osayi-Samuel
Injury: Foot
Osayi-Samuel’s right ankle opened up when he blocked a cross during the Sheffield Wednesday match. He played on for a period but Osayi-Samuel was clearly in some discomfort and Davies soon substituted him.
Jay Stansfield
Injury: Ankle
Stansfield’s ankle was heavily strapped against Wednesday to begin with but the 22-year-old came off worse in a challenge with Max Lowe in the second half. Lowe appeared to tread on Stansfield’s foot and the striker hobbled away from the incident.
Marvin Ducksch
Injury: Leg
Ducksch pulled up in the warm up at Coventry (September 27) and had to be replaced in the starting XI by Lyndon Dykes. While Ducksch boasted an extraordinary availability record at former club Werder Bremen, he joined Blues with an injury and is now sidelined again.
Ethan Laird
Injury: Hamstring
Laird had Blues’ best attempt at goal in the second half of their defeat to Coventry with a flick from a corner that drifted wide of the post, but in doing so he overstretched and suffered a significant hamstring injury.
The timeline Davies has put on Laird’s injury casts doubt over whether the right-back will feature again this calendar year.
Willum Willumsson
Injury: Unspecified
Willumsson missed Blues’ trip to Stoke on September 13 and although Davies hasn’t revealed the type of injury, he has ruled the Icelandic midfielder out until the October international break.
Willumsson started Blues’ two Championship matches before suffering his injury.
Davies said: “He got injured with us when he came back. It was surprising that he picked something up. Sadly, it’s cost him a few weeks. It’s not a long-term thing.”
Willum Willumsson of Birmingham City Keshi Anderson
Injury: Unspecified
The winger was another miss at Stoke. Anderson appears to be closer to a return than Willumsson though. Davies rated Anderson as an outside bet for Wrexham a week ago but there are unlikely to be any risks taken before an international break.
Lee Buchanan
Injury: Knee
Onto the first of Blues’ two long-term casualties. Buchanan is now eight months into his recovery and it is hoped the left-back will be fit towards the end of the year.
Davies would like to have Buchanan and Wright fit in the New Year, at which point a decision will need to be made as to whether they are part of the club’s plans in the second half of the season. They have both been omitted from the club’s squad for the first half of the season.
Offering an update recently, Davies said: “Their planned progression back into training is towards the back end of the year. Both, we would hope, would be ready to go in the New Year.
“Lee is a little bit behind Scott, even though Scott was injured after Lee. Both are working very hard to be fair to them – I’m getting updates every day from the physio.
“They are at the more exciting part of their process now, starting to venture outside a little bit more and moving their legs a little bit more.
“We could probably position it as the New Year that they can get going again.”
Scott Wright
Injury: Knee
Wright is in a similar position to Buchanan, although Davies has suggested he is slightly ahead in terms of his recovery timeline.
Blues have stacked their wide department in the absence of Wright with the additions of Demarai Gray, Lewis Koumas and Patrick Roberts.
The 28-year-old will have a job on his hands to regain his place in the Blues set-up when he does return.
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