Meet the opposition | Norwich City
As Swansea City prepare to take on Norwich City, we take a closer look at the Canaries.
WHAT'S THEIR STORY?
Norwich are in their second season back in the Championship following another solitary campaign in the Premier League.
With six separate stints in the Premier League since its inception in the 1992-93 season, the club achieved its highest-ever position in the same year with a third-place finish.
Falling to the third tier in 2009 for the first time in nearly 50 years, the Canaries clinched successive promotions under Paul Lambert, narrowly edging the Swans in the hunt for automatic promotion in 2010-11.
Relegation in 2015 was followed by the club bouncing straight back up at the first time of asking thanks to play-off success under manager Alex Neil, but they dropped back into the second tier for a record-equalling fourth time in 2016, before continuing to rise and fall over the last five seasons.
Their most notable honours are two League Cup victories in 1962 and 1985, whilst they became the first English club to beat Bayern Munich at the Olympic Stadium during their 1993-94 UEFA Cup campaign, with Wales international Jeremy Goss among the goalscorers in that famous success.
HOW'S THEIR FORM?
The Canaries' weekend victory over Birmingham City saw Norwich bounce back from a run of four defeat in five games.
The East Anglia side had made a strong start to the campaign, going unbeaten through their first six games in the league and cup.
They will be hoping victory over the Blues last time out will mark the start of an upturn in form.
WHO'S THE GAFFER?
David Wagner. The German has been in charge at Carrow Road since succeeding Dean Smith in January.
The Frankfurt-born coach had a lengthy playing career as a bustling, skilful striker and won eight caps for the United States after qualifying to represent them through his ancestry.
After starting his senior career with Eintracht Frankfurt, he went on to represent Mainz, Schalke, FC Gutersloh, Waldorf Mannheim, Darmstadt 98, TSG Weinheim and Germania Pfungstadt. He won the 1997 Uefa Cup during his time with Schalke.
His coaching career started at Borussia Dortmund, where he coached the second team while his former Mainz team-mate Jurgen Klopp was in charge of the first team.
In 2015 he was named Huddersfield boss and he would end up leading them to the Premier League in 2017 as they beat Reading on penalties in the Championship play-off final.
He helped the Terriers retain top-flight status the following campaign, but left in 2019 when they were on their way to relegation back to the second tier.
Short stints with Schalke and Swiss side Young Boys followed, before his arrival in East Anglia.
WHO'S THE CAPTAIN?
Grant Hanley. The Scotland international has had his injury problems since joining Norwich in 2017, and he is currently facing a long spell on the sidelines with an Achilles problem.
In his absence, midfielder Kenny McLean has worn the armband. The Scotland international started his career in the youth ranks with Rangers and Aberdeen before joining St Mirren and making his senior breakthrough.
A loan spell with Arbroath was followed by a move to Aberdeen, where his showings secured a move to the Canaries in 2018.
He helped them secure promotion in 2019 and 2021.
WHO ARE THE KEY MEN?
Exciting young winger Jonathan Rowe has enjoyed an excellent start to the season, and already has five goals and one assist to his name.
The most recent of his goals came in the weekend win against Birmingham, helping put him among the Championships’ leading players for goal involvements this term.
A Canaries’ academy product, Rowe signed a first professional deal with the club in October 2021 and he went on to make his debut against Crystal Palace in the Premier League later that season.
He made 14 appearances in total that season, and has bounced back impressively after an injury-hit 2022-23 campaign.
Brazilian midfielder Gabriel Sara has proved to be a stellar acquisition for the Canaries, having arrived in East Anglia in the summer of 2022.
He wasted no time making an impression in the Championship, and was named Norwich’s player of the season at the end of his first campaign following a string of fine showings across 44 appearances in the centre of the park.
Sara came through the academy ranks with Sao Paulo, and progressed to make his first-team debut for the club in 2017.
He featured in the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana and he ended up making 113 appearances and scoring 17 goals before his move to Carrow Road.
Defender Shane Duffy brings plenty of experience and Premier League nous to Norwich following his arrival over the course of the summer after his Brighton contract expired.
Republic of Ireland international Duffy came through the youth ranks at Everton, and made his first-team debut for the Toffees in the Europa League in 2009.
He spent the 2013-14 season on loan with Yeovil before making a permanent move to Blackburn.
But it is his time with Brighton that Duffy is best known for, helping the Seagulls secure promotion to the top-flight and then establish themselves in the Premier League.
Duffy joined Celtic during the 2020-21 season and his loan spell saw him help the Bhoys win the Scottish Cup.
He returned to Brighton and spent last term on loan with Fulham.