The Colney academy product missed Rovers’ 3-0 loss to Swansea last weekend with a back injury, but new head coach Valerien Ismael has declared him available for the Canaries’ visit.
That means he’ll reunite with ex-team-mates and fans more than two years after his Carrow Road exit, when he left for Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers early in David Wagner’s tenure.
“He trained [on Thursday] morning, so if he can train [on Friday] without any problem he will be available for the game,” Ismael told the Lancashire Telegraph of the Dereham native.
“We’ve had a lot of players back from injury. For sure, maybe not a 100pc possibility that they can play, but at least they are back. I think, in the final push of the season, it’s important to get all the players back.”
Cantwell’s fellow ex-Canary Danny Batth will miss out with a hamstring injury, but January signing Adam Forshaw could feature. Their new boss is keen to make a fast start, with Blackburn 12 games away from Championship play-off qualification.
“Everyone wants to take your spot and fight for the play-offs, so we have to focus on ourselves, because what we’ve done so far, we’ve done well,” he said, speaking to Rovers TV.
“You have no guarantees, but we have to have a no regrets attitude. We want to try everything, and it starts with the game on Saturday.
“I’ve seen a lot of games and I’ve worked looking back on the last days and weeks, discussing with the staff, all of whom have done a great job. I’ve listened to them to get to know the players and to get the feelings of the players.
“Every day will be better, and I’ll have more information and certainty in the near future.”