James Hanson and Andrew Davies are ready to return for City after sitting out the Wolves defeat.

And Phil Parkinson believes the pair will come back stronger for their free weekend.

He said: “It was a decision we made as a club last week. We just had to take a long-term view on both of them.

“Hanson had an injection on Monday and that extra time has done him a lot of good. It’s the same with Andrew.

“He did terrifically well against Preston and would have played if we’d pushed him.

“But we believe it was the right call and hopefully we’ll reap the benefits this weekend.”

Raffaele De Vita is also on the comeback trail after his thigh injury. The Italian is back in training and pushing for a place in the squad.

Parkinson said: “It’s been frustrating for Raf. He’s got to 90-95 per cent fit but getting over that last ridge has been really difficult for him.

“But this week has been the most positive he’s been and I’m looking forward to Raf having a strong finish to the season.

“It was a side-foot shot at the end of a training session and he tore a muscle. It was a really strange, innocuous incident and he’s been out longer than anticipated.

“He’s a player I know can produce that final pass and shot on goal. He hasn’t had a great deal of game time for us but when he has, he’s always threatened to produce something.”