Norwich City get their pre-season campaign underway on Friday night with a fixture against National League outfit King's Lynn Town.
The Canaries are playing the first of seven fixtures in preparation for their return to the Premier League.
Match preview
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There have been times during Daniel Farke's reign at Carrow Road when supporters would have been satisfied if the club's hierarchy opted for a change in direction.
However, with two Championship promotions now under his belt, the German has proven to be one of the best foreign appointments by an English club over the past decade.
While the Canaries were outclassed during their last season in the Premier League, Farke has made a number of eye-catching additions to give his squad every chance of survival this time around.
The signing of Chelsea midfielder Billy Gilmour stands out, but the arrival of Milot Rashica will make up for the exit of previous key man Emiliano Buendia.
Although Farke will acknowledge that he will have to conduct further business over the coming weeks, he will be happy with where his squad are at ahead of a brutal opening triple-header against Liverpool, Manchester City and Leicester City.
As far as King's Lynn are concerned, they will hope to take advantage of avoiding relegation from the National League due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Linnets recorded seven wins and 25 defeats during their first season in the fifth tier, and Ian Culverhouse has been tasked with turning the club's fortunes around during 2021-22.
Six fresh faces have already arrived at The Walks, the most notable being Junior Morais, who has spent recent seasons at Peterborough United, Northampton Town and St Mirren.
King's Lynn started their pre-season campaign with a 3-1 reverse against League One outfit MK Dons earlier this week.
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Team News
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Having returned to training on July 7, Farke may be prepared to name a relatively strong Norwich XI for this contest.
However, the likes of Tim Krul, Grant Hanley, Przemyslaw Placheta, Teemu Pukki and Gilmour could all be given more time to get up to speed after representing their respective nations at Euro 2020.
Kenny McLean remains absent with a knee injury, but Angus Gunn and Rashica could both feature after their transfers to Carrow Road.
Head To Head
Given their positions in the English football pyramid, games between these two sides have been few and far between.
However, a friendly fixture did take place in the summer of 2018, with the Canaries prevailing by a 2-1 scoreline.
We say: King's Lynn Town 0-4 Norwich City
With 90 minutes under their belts, King's Lynn will expect to test the fitness of their superior opponents.
However, we expect Norwich's quality to shine through at some stage, and Farke's side could canter to victory against their hosts.
Darren Plant
