Sheffield Wednesday loan star Bartosz Slusarski is hoping his equaliser in the big relegation tussle at Leicester last weekend will prove to be the catalyst for a great escape, as a sell-out Hillsborough prepares for the visit of City.
With Brian Laws' men one down at the Walkers Stadium and firmly in the bottom three, the odds were stacked against them. But the South Yorkshire club went on to claim a crucial three points in a 3-1 win.
Now they must finish the job against a Norwich side who, of course, secured their own survival with a comfortable 3-0 win over QPR last Saturday.
However, it is a big day for the Canaries also with Dion Dublin finally hanging up his boots after a glittering 20-year career.
City favourite Darren Huckerby could also be appearing in yellow and green for the last time – with no sign of an extended deal on the table just yet – and one way or another, it will be an emotional day at Hillsborough for all concerned.
The Owls sit one point ahead of both Southampton and Leicester and know that a victory in front of their biggest crowd in recent years will definitely keep them up.
And Slusarski, on loan at Wednesday from West Brom, is hoping that last weekend's monumental three points will prove to be the clincher.
“Hopefully that goal and that game will have helped Sheffield Wednesday to stay up,” said Slusarski, speaking to the Sheffield Star.
“Now we have our very important game against Norwich. Of course we must do everything to win it. No matter who scores, it is important that we win – hopefully, I can score as well.”
The Pole's only other goal since his ?680,000 arrival in England last summer came against this weekend's opponents when he was on loan at Blackpool.
He couldn't stop Glenn Roeder's new charges storming to a 3-1 win that day but he may just have found his spiritual home in South Yorkshire.
He sat on the bench for the first five games of his Owls loan spell but made his full debut at Blackpool before starring at Leicester by conjuring up that all-important equaliser. Life is sweet for Slusarksi ? as long as he can help his new club secure safety against the Canaries.
“It has been a good time for me; I have enjoyed my month here,” he added. “When I first came I didn't play too much. I understand that, because this team had played together.
“When the manager gave me the chance of my first start, it was good. But we lost, at Blackpool. We did not play well. I did not play well.
“I had chances to score, a few times, before last Saturday. It was very good to get the goal. I thought Franck Songo'o was going to have a shot; he passed the ball to me; I turned with one touch and struck the ball with my left foot.
“We had been losing this important game. We needed to draw, minimum. We wanted to win.”
Wednesday could even survive as a result of a Canary victory with Leicester travelling to Stoke ? who need a draw to clinch automatic promotion.
Southampton also face a tough encounter with play-off chasing Sheffield United coming to town but the Owls are determined to seal survival themselves with a last-day win against Roeder's men.
In team news, Wednesday's line-up is likely to be bold and boss Laws has already shown himself to be capable of springing a few surprises.
Last week at the Walkers Stadium, he went for broke by dropping Jermaine Johnson to the bench and fielding all three of his main strikers, Slusarski, Deon Burton and Ben Sahar.
The Owls also had attacking options on the bench, with Johnson, Etienne Esajas and Leon Clarke too call upon. And Wednesdayites can expect another positive approach against City – whatever the line-up.
Laws' major concern is at right-back with Frankie Simek and Richard Hinds out. Lee Bullen didn't appear for the second-half at Leicester after the recurrence of a hamstring niggle. That meant a second emergency stint at full-back for Johnson.
If Bullen does not win his fitness battle – and misses out on a farewell appearance with his contract ending this summer – then Johnson and Steve Watson could deputise.
A switch for Watson would create a midfield gap for Graham Kavanagh to step into if he has recovered from the hamstring complaint that kept him out of the trip to the East Midlands last week.
For the visitors, there may be one or two alterations to last week's winning eleven with Championship safety wrapped up, but with Roeder insisting the Canaries must have their professional hats on, don't expect wholesale changes.
The smart money will be on departing hero Dublin leading the line but elsewhere, the City boss has plenty of options with Adam Drury the only player unavailable through injury. Roeder will, however, be forced into making one change with Kieran Gibbs back at Arsenal after his loan spell ended after the Hoops triumph. Lee Croft, Darel Russell or Luke Chadwick could replace him.
Tom Haylett
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