In his two years at the club, Daniel Farke has managed to lift Norwich City back to the Premier League at the end of the last season. But the Canaries will start their top-flight campaign this season with a trip to Anfield on Friday. They are fresh from two wins in their last three friendlies and will look to start on the front foot though history suggests it will be difficult for them.
Norwich have won just one of their last 18 opening day fixtures and have a forgettable record against the Reds. However, after three seasons in the Championship, which they finally managed to win, the Yellows will believe that they can test Liverpool, who have not been at their best in the pre-season this summer. Here is the Team News and Predicted Lineup for Norwich City in this tie:
Team News:
The manager revealed that Ibrahim Amadou, Christoph Zimmermann, Alex Tettey and Tim Klose are all nursing injuries and are not available for this game.
PREDICTED NORWICH CITY LINEUP vs LIVERPOOL (4-2-3-1)
Defence:
Farke has utilised both Ralf Fahrmann and Tim Krul equally in goal in the pre-season. The German has shown enough promise to retain a place in the first team but Krul might well be preferred given his Premier League experience.
Jamal Lewis and Sam Byram did a decent job in the full-back roles in the last few pre-season games and are expected to keep their place in the starting XI for this trip to Anfield. They will have a tough time keeping the likes of Mohamed Salah and Divock Origi at bay on the wings.
Ben Godfrey has been a mainstay in the starting XI for Norwich and should start at the heart of the defence in this game. The doubts over Klose’s fitness will see Grant Hanley make the starting XI, also taking the captain’s arm-band for his side.
Midfield:
Tom Trybull was a constant presence in the midfield for Norwich last season in the Championship. He was used regularly alongside Moritz Leitner in the pre-season games recently and Farke is expected to stick with the duo to complete his two-man midfield against Liverpool. Mario Vrancic and Kenny McLean are not far behind in the pecking order though.
Attack:
Emi Buendia is one of the first names on the team sheet for Farke. He is expected to start on the right flank while Onel Hernandez will look to add some pace and creativity to the side on the left flank.
Marco Stiepermann was not a part of the Norwich City squad in the last two pre-season games and might only find a place on the bench this weekend. Todd Cantwell was a regular in the side in this role in those games and could start at Anfield again.
Teemu Pukki will be the danger man for the Reds. The 29-year-old striker registered 29 goals in the Championship last season and will be the man to mark for the likes of Virgil van Dijk at the back.
Here is how they might line up:
