Norwich City get their pre-season schedule underway this Friday evening with an away fixture at non-league outfit Dereham Town with kickoff at 9 pm.
Having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2018/19 campaign, Norwich will return to England’s second tier next season as they bid to bounce back from a hugely disappointing stint in the top flight.
Prior to the campaign getting underway, some notable signings had been made, but the club finished with just five victories and 22 points to their name. Dean Smith now has the task of instigating yet another instant return to the Premier League with a squad which will look significantly different to last season’s group.
Each of their four loanees have returned to their parent clubs, while a couple of notable names have departed Norwich on free transfers. As it stands, the East Anglian outfit have not pushed hard to bring in fresh faces so far this summer, with only Newcastle United midfielder Isaac Hayden joining on a season-long loan deal thus far
Playing their first pre-season friendly of the summer, Dereham will be looking to make an impact in their new surroundings as they look towards the start of the Northern League Midlands Division. The Norfolk-based outfit have been moved from the Isthmian League North, where they finished in 10th position during the last campaign.
Dereham Town vs Norwich Head to Head
Both sides are yet to face against each other and this marks their first encounter. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Dereham 2-0 Barking
- Hullbridge 3-0 Dereham
- AFC Sudbury 1-3 Dereham
- Enfield Town 2-1 Dereham
Away
- Norwich City 0-5 Tottenham
- Wolves 1-1 Norwich
- Leicester 3-0 Norwich
- Norwich 0-4 West Ham
Dereham Town Team News
When Adam Gusterson selects his Dereham side this Saturday, recent additions Ryan Swift and George Green are likely to be involved in some capacity.
Norwich City Team News
Ahead of a pre-season trip to Germany and Austria, manager Daniel Farke is expected to give all his available players an appearance. The likes of Onel Hernandez and Jordan Hugill are expected to feature having returned from loans at Birmingham City and Cardiff City respectively, but Teemu Pukki is unavailable due to injury.
Prediction and Odds
Norwich City are expected to cruise to a comfortable win against Barnet ahead of much tougher tests.
- Norwich Win
- Goals Over 2.5
- No Score: Home
