Bristol City's 11-day break from action could be perceived in one of two ways.
Firstly, considering the relentless nature of the Championship, it could be eyed as a potentially welcome opportunity to rest a few legs and recuperate following a hectic fixture period.
On the other hand, it may have threatened to put a halt to the brilliant momentum City have gained as they look to extend their unbeaten run to nine games in all competitions.
The same could be said for Norwich with Dean Smith's side also hitting a rich vein of form with five consecutive victories. They have ambitions of an immediate return to the Premier League and this will undoubtedly be City's biggest and toughest test so far.
Nigel Pearson said in his pre-match press conference that despite the quality that Norwich possesses, they will not be looking at changing their tactics. Therefore it's likely to be another exciting encounter with City looking to use their counter-attacking ability to exploit the Norwich back line and here's how we think Pearson will shape up.
Goalkeeper and defence
It will be Dan Bentley between the sticks once again and there's been little reason to be worried about his form in the early part of this season. Three consecutive home clean sheets have been a huge positive but the captain will still want to improve the defensive record away from home.
They've conceded eight in their four Championship away matches and that record will need to improve should they look to maintain their spot in the top six over the course of the season. Bentley will need to be at his best if City are to pull off a result this evening.
At the back, there will no prizes for predicting the trio to play ahead of the keeper. Zak Vyner continues to enjoy a resurgence in the side on the right side of the defence and spoke last week about his growing confidence in the team.
He also declared the benefits of playing regularly alongside Kal Naismith and Rob Atkinson, pointing out the growing understanding of each other's game. Pearson will stick with that backline with Naismith in the middle and Atkinson to his left.
Timm Klose is back from a knee injury and maintained his match fitness with the Under-21s last week but is likely to be back on the bench on his return to Carrow Road. He could be joined by George Tanner whose most likely breakthrough into the senior side this season will be in the defensive three.
Tomas Kalas remains out until October/November, as Pearson revealed last week, while Sol Bamba continues to train with the squad but with no sign that the club intended to offer the veteran a short-term contract.
Midfield and wing-back
Let's start with the midfield and it's difficult to look past the duo of Alex Scott and Matty James again following their last outing away at Blackburn.
The duo were excellent in the middle and were crucial to the three points with the blend of youth and experience proving key in dictating the play. Norwich are a different kettle of fish and there is certainly an argument to bring Joe Williams back into the midfield for his first start since the 3-3 draw with Blackpool.
Williams adds tenacity and energy which could be needed to help prevent the likes of Todd Cantwell and Onel Hernandez from showing their quality. That would also mean disrupting the side that have won their last two matches against Rovers and Huddersfield.
When speaking about Williams, you also have to consider that he could be needed for Saturday's trip to Burnley and it's unlikely given his previous injury track record that he'll start in both matches. It's a tough one to call but gut feeling suggests Pearson will want to stick with the James and Scott combination with Williams an excellent option to bring from the bench when needed.
At wing-back, Mark Sykes was thrown straight back into the side against Huddersfield following his three-game suspension at right wing-back and then again versus Blackburn just a few days after.
Pearson spoke about Kane Wilson on Monday in which he spoke of the player's frustrations with his lack of minutes so far. The former Forest Green Rovers man will get his opportunity but it's highly unlikely to come at Norwich.
Another option would be to play Scott at wing-back and bring Williams into the middle but it would be a surprise considering the form and capability of Sykes out on the right.
On the other side, it will be Jay Dasilva on the left as Cam Pring appears to have fallen short of Pearson's plans at the moment.
The attack
'It's nice to have options' has been the message from the manager regarding his in-form strikers as they continue to give him a welcome selection dilemma.
Tommy Conway has been in the headlines for the majority of this season as he continues to live the dream with a brilliant breakthrough campaign. Only Erling Haaland get better his goal involvements of six strikes and two assists across the top four leagues and it was enough to earn him the Championship Young Player of the Month for August on Monday.
Conway was also called up to the Scotland Under-21 side for the first time last week also and surely a player in his form will be leading the line alongside his mate and fellow in-form strike partner Nahki Wells.
The forward's four goals this season is reward for his patience last season with two of those coming against Blackburn in the previous outing. If Pearson opts for that duo once more, it will mean Antoine Semenyo starts on the bench again but the manager has been adamant that players will keep their places if they are deserving of them.
He may also look to rotate the forward line against Burnley to freshen up the legs and may have an eye on bringing Semenyo to the starting XI at Turf Moor. The Ghanaian is also an explosive option to bring on in the second half to stretch Norwich's defence.
Andi Weimann will continue his role playing behind the strikers but this is likely to be a contest where he drops deeper than usual to form a midfield three and provide some more protection in front of the defence.
Bristol City predicted line-up (3-4-1-2): Bentley; Vyner, Naismith, Atkinson; Sykes, James, Scott, Dasilva; Weimann; Wells, Conway
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