DEMARAI Gray will face a late fitness check as Chris Davies looks to build on Blues’ promising start to the season.
A draw against last season’s relegated Premier League outfit Ipswich Town was followed by victory over Sheffield United in the Carabao Cup.
One drawback was Gray’s withdrawal at half-time after he injured himself after tracking back.
Davies said at the time it was more precautionary but, despite a couple of days’ training, will make a final check on the club’s former academy graduate.
After the game, Blues’ boss said: “He had a little bit of a knock, we’ll have to see how it’s doing. He was playing a great game. We’ll have to see how it is.”
Davies made six changes from the side that opened the campaign against the Tractor Boys for the midweek tie against the Blades.
He is primed to swap it around once more.
Ryan Allsop is expected to return in goal while there is unlikely to be much by way of a change in the rearguard.
Seung-Ho Paik is likely to return alongside Tomoki Iwata.
However, there may be changes in attacking areas with Davies keen to keep the same intensity of work that was a feature of the opening two games.
Keshi Anderson did not start on Wednesday night and with Kyogo Furuhashi looking at his third game in eight games, it may be that the Japanese makes way for Jay Stansfield who started the clash against the Blades on the bench.
Davies will have one eye on the amount of energy expended in the opening two games. He wants to preserve that.
He said: “The work ethic of the team is the most important thing for me. All the best teams have an incredible work ethic. It’s the only way to succeed.
“We want to out-work the opposition and that’s what I want from my team more than anything.
“Fans recognise that. It gives the whole stadium a lift when they do.
“They can do it and when they push and work as hard as they have been doing, it’s what is going to make us successful ultimately.
“There’s a togetherness now at the club and we have to capture that. And build upon it.”
