Sheffield Wednesday v Norwich City Johannes Hoff Thorup view

The Canaries travel to Yorkshire further depleted by a knee issue for Gabriel Forsyth, having already lost Josh Sargent, Angus Gunn, Marcelino Nunez, Onel Hernandez and Anis Ben Slimane, among others, to injury.

With player of the season Kenny McLean also serving a three-game suspension for his recent red card in a 3-3 draw with Middlesbrough, City's mission to earn a first win in five won't be an easy one.

Thorup still backs his players to give a good account of themselves, however, and hopes to replicate the good parts of Saturday's 2-1 loss to Cardiff.

The Canaries were stunned by a 2-1 defeat to Cardiff on Saturday (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd) "It's going to be a big test for us, and I think that's the reason why everyone was so disappointed with the result in Cardiff the other day," he said. "With the situation that we are in at the moment, and then the guys doing so well for 75, 80 minutes, who would have expected that we would play with Gabriel Forsyth and Lungi (Jacob Sorensen) in midfield in Cardiff?

"But they did so well, the two of them, and that's why I think it was a big disappointment for everyone. We were so close to a performance that was, in the circumstances we are in, at least as close to perfect as possible.

"What we expect [against Sheffield Wednesday] is that it's going to be another tough one, it's going to be another one where we have to do our best and where we have to defend really, really well when we have to defend. But also to show what we are made of and to have these good moments in the game.

"We'll try to pull all of the positive stuff out of the game in Cardiff and see if we can use that."

It won't be as simple as transplanting the same tactics from game to game, though, with the Owls' unique system meaning strategic changes will be required.

"They press a little bit higher, they are a little bit more man for man in their press," he continued, comparing Wednesday to the Welsh team. "They build the game quite vertically and try to play one side, overlapping situations to put in crosses, they will do this with their wing-backs.

"We have to be aware of this, of course, and especially the area around the back post. That late run in from a wing-back position can sometimes be a little bit tricky to cover defensively. That's something we try to be aware of and try to be prepared for.

"They're a physical, strong side, and they will definitely put in a tough fight for us."

The Dane's focus on long-term improvement has been tested to its limit by those injuries, with many supporters calling for him to abandon his trademark 4-3-3. He says it's all about balance, even if the main focus currently is navigating a variety of problems.

"It's always a balance because we still have to have the results with us while we are building something," he told the Pink Un. "I'm pleased with some of the good performances that we have made so far this season, I'm pleased with some of our results this season.

"There's still room for improvement, but at the moment, the next couple of games, it's for us not to go too far in our development and maybe to stay where we are and make sure that everyone is comfortable with what they are doing.

"We have to see where the squad is at the moment and make sure that we support them the best possible way, because I don't expect that tomorrow will be perfect for us. I expect that we'll have to go with all we have and make sure that we put in the best possible performance.

"I think that's where we are as a team now."