SV Darmstadt 98vs.NorwichNorwich City

Meanwhile, the Bundesliga newcomers will be hoping to make an impression on their first notable outing of the summer in the game at the Merck-Stadion am Bollenfalltor.

Match preview

Not many clubs around Europe are currently preparing for their third game of pre-season, yet that is the position that Norwich find themselves in having participated in two domestic fixtures.

The first one - a 1-1 draw at Barnet - was used to blow the cobwebs away, but David Wagner's side really found their stride in hitting King's Lynn Town for six at the weekend.

New arrival Ashley Barnes was the star of the show, scoring a hat-trick against the National League North side, with Josh Sargent, Tony Springett and Sam McCullum also getting in on the act.

With Kaiserslautern, AZ Alkmaar and Toulouse all to come, Wagner will be curious to see whether his players can handle the vast step up in quality which is to come.

Nevertheless, the German can only be encouraged ahead of an encounter in his homeland against opponents who are on a high after their 2022-23 promotion campaign.

In a tight three-way battle for a top-two spot, Darmstadt secured second place by a point, only missing out on the 2. Bundesliga title on goal difference.

Torsten Lieberknecht is now faced with the task of trying to put together a squad capable of competing in the top flight, something that will be easier said than done with several first-team players having departed the club.

However, the addition of former Everton youngster Fraser Hornby looks to be a shrewd piece of business, the ex Scotland Under-21 international contributing eight goals and two assists for a struggling KV Oostende side in the Belgian top flight during 2022-23.

This is the first of five notable games for Darmstadt ahead of the new season, the final one being against Liverpool at Deepdale on August 7.

Norwich City friendly form:

D

W

Team News

Of the players who started their final league game of 2022-23, only Patric Pfeiffer has departed, with Matej Maglica potentially replacing him in the defence after his switch from Stuttgart.

Hornby could also feature in the final third, while former Norwich defender Christoph Zimmermann is on the books of Darmstadt and will hope to start.

Meanwhile, Wagner may look to select a similar side to the one that started against King's Lynn having made sweeping changes at half time.

However, Barnes was the only player to come through 60 minutes of action, and it is plausible that Adam Idah may get the nod for this contest.

Borja Sainz will miss out, however, with the new signing having suffered ankle ligament damage in training, which will keep him sidelined until October.

SV Darmstadt 98 possible starting lineup:

Brunst; Gjasula, Maglica, Zimmermann; Bader, Schnellhardt, Mehlem, Holland; Honsak, Manu; Tietz

Norwich City possible starting lineup:

Krul; Stacey, Duffy, Gibson, McCallum; Nunez, McLean, Springett; Sargent, Płacheta, Idah

We say: SV Darmstadt 98 1-3 Norwich City

Ahead of their return to the top flight, Darmstadt will be eager to impress against opponents who are arguably classed on a similar level to themselves. However, we feel that Norwich will have the better of this game, building on the goal glut from the weekend.

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