Birmingham City team news before the Championship clash with Preston North End on Tuesday (October 21)
Birmingham City were boosted by Bright Osayi-Samuel’s return to the bench for Saturday’s 3-2 defeat to Hull City ahead of a double-header this week.
Osayi-Samuel missed Blues’ trip to Wrexham before the international break due to a foot injury but was fit enough to take his place in the squad and is likely to get minutes this week.
Blues travel to Preston North End on Tuesday night before a trip to Bristol City on Saturday. Central defender Jack Robinson will miss Blues’ next four games after being sent off for the second time this season in the Hull defeat.
Here is the rundown of Blues’ injury issues…
Willum Willumsson
Injury: Unspecified
Willumsson has missed Blues’ last six games but should return to training soon after completing the bulk of his rehab.
Chris Davies said: “Willum is getting close to training with the group, so he’s not far away.”
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.
Speaking late last week, Davies said Ducksch is ‘close’ to returning to training.
Marvin Ducksch (centre) of Birmingham CityEthan 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 has cast doubt over whether the right-back will feature again this calendar year.
“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.”
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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