Boro triumphed 3-0 at the Den, successfully withstanding Millwall’s aggressive approach and handling one of the most intimidating environments in the Championship.
Today, they line up against a Norwich side who won at Portsmouth last weekend, and while Edwards expects the Canaries to have more variety to their play than Millwall, he is still anticipating an intense physical contest.
“Norwich are a big side,” said the Boro boss. “They’re physical, so as well as being good footballers, it is land of the giants again. We have to take on that challenge.
“It’s a big challenge. They’ve got a real power, but then they’ve got quality as well. There’s a few new signings that have come in and, as you would expect from a Norwich team, they’re good players.
“They’ve got quality in all areas of the pitch so, in a slightly different way, this will be just as big a challenge as it was last week at Millwall. In many ways, it’s more difficult because there’ll probably be more variation to how Norwich play.”
Having bemoaned his side’s efforts as they were dumped out of the Carabao Cup by League One Doncaster Rovers, Edwards was delighted with his players’ willingness to put in the hard yards against Millwall.
The Boro boss knows he has some talented footballers in his squad, but accepts that will count for nothing if his players are unwilling to match their opponents for efforts and intensity.
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“It’s important that we continue to value doing the basics well,” he said. “We’ve done well because we’ve run hard and we’ve run quickly. The high-intensity running has been excellent and the sprinting has been excellent too.
“We’ve been competitive in duels, winning second balls, and we’ve valued doing the basics really well. I’m going to keep banging on about that stuff, and then we’ve got some good footballers as well that when they play and get on the ball, they’re able to do things.
“But without the other side of the game, you don’t have a platform or a base to play from. I’ll keep talking about the basics, the stuff that’s not necessarily seen by everyone, and the importance of valuing that. We see it and really value it.”
Having taken Abdoulaye Kante off at half-time at the Den, Edwards will have to decide whether to stick with the summer signing against Norwich or shuffle his midfield to accommodate Sontje Hansen, who made a positive impression off the bench against Millwall. If Hansen starts, Hayden Hackney will drop back into a deeper role.
Sverre Nypan is available, but having only joined from Manchester City in midweek, the Norwegian teenager is likely to be named on the bench.
Middlesbrough (probable, 3-4-3): Brynn; Ayling, Fry, Jones; Brittain, Morris, Hackney, Silvera; Whittaker, Conway, Hansen.
