Birmingham City’s injury list expanded over the hectic holiday season, with five new ailments plaguing Chris Davies.
Lee Buchanan will miss the rest of the season due to a serious knee injury, while Krystian Bielik, Jay Stansfield, Emil Hansson, and Keshi Anderson all suffered minor injuries over the holidays. Alfons Sampsted has not been seen since November, due to an ankle injury.
Bielik and Stansfield appear to be the most likely to return after missing the 3-0 victory over Wigan due to injuries. “Bielik has a knock that he picked up in the last game,” Davies explained. “He won’t be gone long, but he was unavailable for this one. Jay was a similar person. He wasn’t accessible for this one due to an issue, but he won’t be for long.”
With two cup games coming up, Davies is expected to rotate his squad and rest players such as Bielik and Stansfield. The Blues meet Lincoln City in the FA Cup on Saturday before traveling to Swindon in the Vertu Trophy next Tuesday (January 14).
Here is the latest injury news before Blues host Lincoln on January 11…
Krystian Bielik
Injury: Unspecified
Bielik was battered and bruised after the New Year’s Day draw with Stockport to such an extent that he wasn’t available for the game at Wigan last weekend. Davies isn’t expecting to be without Bielik for long.
Jay Stansfield
Injury: Unspecified
Stansfield appeared to be in some discomfort after being substituted at Stockport and could be seen discussing the issue with the physios on the bench. It wasn’t a great surprise to see him miss the game at Wigan.
Emil Hansson
Injury: Muscular
Hansson made his first start in more than two months against Blackpool but he succumbed to another injury shortly before half-time. Similarly to the one he sustained last time, Hansson pulled up without anyone around him and immediately signalled that he needed to be replaced. Hansson has been ruled out for ‘a few weeks’ at the very least.
Keshi Anderson
Injury: Unspecified
Anderson complained of discomfort midway through the Boxing Day draw with Burton Albion and the in-form winger is now set for a spell out of the team. Davies said: “Keshi and Emil will be a few weeks. I think Emil will be slightly longer than Keshi by the looks of things. We’ve been unfortunate to lose two important players.”
Alfons Sampsted
Injury: Ankle
