Norwich City and West Brom will return to league play this weekend in the first round of fixtures of the new season.

The Canaries will host James Morrison’s team, and expectations at Carrow Road are high for the next year.

Philippe Clement’s squad finished tenth in 2025/26, and a good second half of the season has given fans plenty of hope.

Meanwhile, the Baggies just avoided relegation with a 21st-place finish, but fans are optimistic about the year ahead.

But that optimism will be put to the test on Saturday, with a 3pm kick-off, since defeat for either team would be devastating.

Here are the players set to miss the meeting between Norwich and West Brom…

Norwich City’s Ali Ahmed

Ali Ahmed has suffered a major pre-season injury, which means he will miss the start of the season and may not be available for some time.

The club confirmed that the winger damaged his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), which will keep him out of play for several months.

This is a significant loss for the Canaries, as the 25-year-old had played admirably in the second half of last season after joining from the Vancouver Whitecaps in January.

Lucien Mahovo

Clement stated that Lucien Mahovo will miss the start of the new Championship season.

The left-back will be unavailable owing to an ankle injury, ruling him out of Saturday’s game against the Baggies.

There is no timetable for his return, as he suffered ligament damage during the preseason in July.

Kellen Fisher

Kellen Fisher also sustained an injury in preseason, which was a setback for the Canaries.

The defender is poised to miss the game against West Brom after suffering an ankle injury in training last month.

Fisher is scheduled to be out for six weeks, so he could return before the end of the month, but a September return is more plausible.

Jovan Makama

Jovon Makama is expected to return sooner than Fisher, but will still be absent for the home game against Albion.

The 22-year-old sustained a foot injury in July and has been sidelined for almost four weeks, therefore he will not be playing this weekend.

Norwich City v West Brom: Injury/Suspension List

Player

Club

Reason for absence:

Ali Ahmad

Norwich City

Injury

Lucien Mahovo

Norwich City

Injury

Kellen Fisher

Norwich City

Injury

Jovon Makama, Norwich City

Injury

Mikey Johnston, West Brom

Injury

Tamber Bany

West Brom

Injury

West Bromwich

Mikey Johnston

Mikey Johnston remains on the sidelines for West Brom, with the Norwich game coming too soon for him to return to the squad.

The winger has been out of action for some months following a broken ankle earlier this year.

His final outing for Albion came on February 28, although he was substituted after 21 minutes as the club fell 2-1 against Oxford United.

Tammer Bany

Tammer Bany has had numerous injuries since joining the Hawthorns in January 2025.

And he will miss this weekend’s trip to Carrow Road as he continues his rehabilitation to full health.

While he appeared in a behind-closed-doors friendly earlier this month, he is not scheduled to fly to Norfolk this weekend.