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Hibernianvs.NorwichNorwich City

sportsmole.co.uk, 22 July 2022, 12:15
Norwich City conclude their pre-season schedule with a fixture against Hibernian on Sunday afternoon.

While the Canaries are currently unbeaten in their summer matches, Hibs are reeling from their early exit from the Scottish League Cup.

Match preview

With just two first-team additions having been made so far, there will be some Norwich City supporters who have concerns heading into the new campaign.

However, Dean Smith will be satisfied with the progression of his current crop, who have recorded four wins and a draw from their five friendlies.

The Canaries finish their schedule with matches against Celtic and Hibs in less than 24 hours, a stronger team likely to square off against the Scottish Premiership champions.

Nevertheless, whoever lines up in the second fixture will view it as an opportunity to impress with starting spots available for the Championship opener against Cardiff City.

Last time out, Norwich defeated Cambridge United by a 3-1 scoreline, Jordan Hugill continuing his fine pre-season with another double.

As far as Hibs are concerned, they have spent the last few weeks attempting to secure their progress into the next stage of the Scottish League Cup.

Lee Johnson's team had already been struggling to make headway in the competition after a surprise 1-1 draw with Greenock Morton earlier this week.

However, it soon emerged that Hibs had fielded an ineligible player during that contest with Rocky Bushiri having been suspended for accumulating the set amount of yellow cards, the consequence being a 3-0 defeat handed to their opponents.

Johnson will now hope to end a frustrating week with success over a high-level Championship side, with attention then turning to their top-flight opener versus St Johnstone on July 30.

Hibernian form (all competitions):

Norwich City Club Friendlies 1 form:

Team News

As many as 20 different players were used by Smith for the game at Cambridge, and they are now expected to be split over the next two fixtures.

With Tim Krul potentially getting the nod against Celtic, either Angus Gunn or Michael McGovern should be named between the sticks for this game.

Liam Gibbs got on the scoresheet in the previous encounter, potentially earning him an opportunity to feature in the squad versus Celtic rather than Hibs.

Johnson must decide whether to name a full-strength Hibs side or hand minutes to those who were named as substitutes versus Greenock Morton.

Bushiri will want to feature against his former club, while Jair Tavares may be provided with a chance to impress with the former Benfica man only getting 45 minutes under his belt thus far.

We say: Hibernian 1-3 Norwich City

With both clubs having other commitments, this is a difficult match to call. Nevertheless, regardless of what players feature at Easter Road, the Canaries should have enough quality to come through with a victory.

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