- How Norwich lined up when they faced Portsmouth under Liam Manning
- An update on the injury situation facing Philippe Clement at Carrow Road
- A look at how the Canaries may line up on Good Friday
(Updated by Daniel Emery at 16:30)
City welcome Portsmouth to Carrow Road in the 40th game of the Championship season on Good Friday.
The two teams are trending in opposite directions in the league. Pompey have lost four and drawn one of their last five, whilst the Canaries have won four and lost one of their last five outings.
Philippe Clement’s side beat Charlton Athletic 1-0 at The Valley before the international break, thanks to Pelle Mattsson’s first goal in yellow and green.
The Belgian boss refused to accept that it was a ‘bounceback’ from the 1-0 loss to Southampton earlier in that week, because he was happy with the performances in both matches.
How Norwich lined up against Portsmouth in August
Norwich went into the reverse fixture at Fratton Park in August 2025 with Liam Manning in charge for his second league match, winning 2-1.
The Canaries lined up in a 3-4-2-1 formation that moved into a 4-4-2 out of possession, a tactical nuance that did not go down particularly well in some parts of Norfolk.
Vladan Kovacevic, who saved a penalty in the game, lined up between the sticks, with Jakov Medic, Harry Darling, and Jose Cordoba as the three centre-backs ahead of him.
Jack Stacey and Papa Diallo played as the ‘wing-backs’. However, Stacey moved to right-back out of possession and Diallo moved into left midfield, with Cordoba at left-back.
Summer signing Mirko Topic and Marcelino Nunez, who may be back at Carrow Road later this month, started in the middle of the park. Kenny McLean missed the game through injury and Pelle Mattsson had yet to sign for Norwich.
Manning selected Ante Crnac and Emiliano Marcondes in the two ‘ten’ positions behind Josh Sargent to complete the attack. Crnac moved to right midfield out of possession, whilst Marcondes partnered Sargent as a second striker in the press.
Latest Norwich team news
The team to face Portsmouth this time will look a lot different to the one that played in that August clash, both because of Clement’s arrival and the injury situation.
Starting on a positive note, Jack Stacey confirmed to the Pink Un that he is “ready to go” after missing the win over Charlton through injury.
Mohamed Toure, Jeffrey Schlupp, Ben Chrisene, and Oscar Schwartau also returned to training during the international break and may be involved in the squad.
Unfortunately, though, Crnac, Harry Amass, Matej Jurasek, Topic, Diallo, and Jovon Makama look set to remain on the sidelines.
On top of those absences, Ruairi McConville sustained an injury during international duty with Northern Ireland and has been ruled out.
Predicted Norwich XI to take on Portsmouth
Kovacevic should keep his place in goal after he kept his eighth clean sheet of the Championship season in the win over Charlton.
Harry Darling, replacing McConville, and Cordoba should start as the central defensive pairing. The latter scored for Panama against South Africa this week and has revived his Yellows career this season.
The first change to the XI that beat Charlton could come in the full-back position. Clement may favour a more natural right-back in Stacey ahead of Liam Gibbs, despite his solid display at The Valley, with Kellen Fisher at left-back.
Mattson and McLean should also retain their place as the midfield pairing, ahead of Sam Field and Jacob Wright, because of the quality, energy, and robustness that they offer to the side.
Anis Ben Slimane played 90 minutes for Tunisia against Ali Ahmed’s Canada in the early hours of Wednesday morning, which could see him rested as a starter.
Paris Maghoma, who started on the right against Charlton, could move into the number ten position, opening the door for Amankwah Forson to start on the right flank.
Forson’s last start at Carrow Road came in the 2-1 win over Southampton in December, but he scored against Sheffield United off the bench last month.
Ahmed only played 15 minutes off the bench in that international clash with Tunisia, so he does not have as many minutes in his legs as Slimane ahead of this game.
Finally, Mathias Kvistgaarden could start in the number nine position because Toure is only now coming back from injury and may not be ready to start straight away.
Full predicted Norwich XI to face Portsmouth: Kovacevic; Stacey, Darling, Cordoba, Fisher; Mattsson, McLean (C); Forson, Maghoma, Ahmed; Kvistgaarden
