Cardiff City manager Brian Barry-Murphy has stated the club must be mindful of its fit defenders as they prepare to host Norwich City in the EFL Cup second round on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT. The Bluebirds are currently experiencing an early-season injury crisis in their defensive line.
Dylan Lawlor, Calum Chambers, Will Fish, and Gabriel Osho are all sidelined. This forced Barry-Murphy to deploy right-back Perry Ng and left-back Joel Bagan in central defence during last Saturday's match against Derby County, with Ronan Kpakio and Calum Scanlon starting as full-backs.
The only defensive option on the bench at Derby was 15-year-old Noah Anyadike, who could potentially make his debut against Norwich. Barry-Murphy also indicated he might look to the under-21 squad for additional defensive cover to protect players before next weekend's Championship fixture against Sheffield United.
Calum Scanlon, on his second loan spell from Liverpool, played 80 minutes against Wrexham and then a full game at Derby. Barry-Murphy noted, "[It was] Calum's first 90 minutes in two-and-a-half years so we have to be careful of exposing players like that again."
Jack Moylan sustained a dead leg at Derby, but Cardiff is optimistic he will not face a lay-off. Joel Colwill, David Turnbull, Isaak Davies, and Callum Robinson, who started on the bench against the Rams, could be in contention for a starting spot against Norwich.