Sports Mole previews Friday’s friendly clash between Norwich City and Magdeburg, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Walking out at Carrow Road for the first time in their 2024-25 schedule, Norwich City will welcome Bundesliga 2 side Magdeburg to East Anglia for a pre-season friendly on Friday night.
The Canaries are back in England following a two-game trip in Belgium, with Der Club looking to maintain an unbeaten record in their summer itinerary as they travel to Norfolk.
Match preview
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Following a routine three-goal success over League One side Northampton Town on July 13, Norwich City took their pre-season preparations to Belgium for a week, facing Belgian Pro League heavyweights Club Brugge and Standard Liege in the space of four intense days.
The Canaries were well beaten in the match versus Nicky Hayen‘s troops but responded admirably to force a share of the honours versus Liege on Saturday, when a clinical run and finish from Spaniard Borja Sainz was the decisive attacking moment for the visitors in a 1-1 draw.
For the first time this summer, Norwich’s Carrow Road faithful will see a team led to Johannes Thorup play at their home venue, where the East Anglians enjoyed a commendable record during the 2023-24 term, winning 15 and collecting 49 points from 23 Championship home contests.
Providing the assist for Sainz’s exquisite strike last weekend, Adam Idah continues to be a prominent part of the Canaries’ pre-season plans despite persistent links to Scottish Premiership champions Celtic, who are aiming to bring the Irishman back to Parkhead after a loan stint last term.
Norwich’s have only ever played a single German club in a competitive fixture, with Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich the two-legged foes for the Canaries in the second round of the 1993-94 UEFA Cup, a tie that the English underdogs won 3-2 on aggregate after a 2-1 away success for the East Anglians.
After cantering to the third-tier crown in Germany during the 2021-22 season, Magdeburg are beginning to reestablish themselves as part of the furniture in Bundesliga 2, securing back-to-back midtable finishes in the country’s secondary division since returning to the level.
That being said, Der Club were close to being dragged into trouble at the bottom during the 2023-24 term, when Friday’s visitors to Carrow Road finished 14th in the second-tier standings, just six points ahead of 16th-placed Wehen Wiesbaden, who did not survive their subsequent relegation playoff.
In a team that often struggled for attacking moments of quality, Baris Atik was a real creative force for Magdeburg last term, scoring on four occasions and providing 10 assists in 33 Bundesliga 2 fixtures, with the 29-year-old enjoying the most productive period of his career since joining from Dynamo Dresden at the start of 2021.
Following an ill-fated spell at German giants Hamburger SV in 2018, Christian Titz has his feet firmly under the table at MDCC Arena, with the former RW Essen coach guiding Der Club back to the second tier and helping the club to maintain its place at the level for a third straight term.
Magdeburg will be looking to extend their unbeaten record in pre-season to eight matches at Carrow Road on Friday night, with the German visitors picking up some noteworthy results so far this summer, including a 4-0 thrashing of Austrian Bundesliga side FC Zurich on July 12.
Norwich City friendly form:
Norwich City form (all competitions):
Magdeburg friendly form:
Magdeburg form (all competitions):
Team News
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Norwich have confirmed that Ashley Barnes is set to miss the remainder of pre-season and beginning of the Championship campaign in order to undergo surgery on a calf injury.
The Canaries’ options at left-back have been reduced the the departure of Greece international Dimitrios Giannoulis to Augsburg on a free transfer.
Following their trip to Germany for Euro 2024 as part of Scotland’s squad, Kenny McLean and Grant Hanley returned to action for Norwich last week and should play a part once again in this one.
Magdeburg supporters will be hoping to catch a glimpse of a host of summer arrivals in East Anglia, including Danish centre-back Marcus Mathisen.
Der Club have also bolstered their attacking arsenal ahead of the new campaign, with Philipp Hercher and Robert Leipertz set to provide plenty of threat from the flanks.
Norwich City possible starting lineup:
Gunn; Stacey, Hanley, Sorensen, Fisher ; McLean, Sara, Nunez, Rowe, Sainz; Idah
Magdeburg possible starting lineup:
Reimann, Hugonet, Heber, Musonda, Mathisen; Gnaka, El-Zein, Ito; Kaars, Atik, Hercher
We say: Norwich City 3-1 Magdeburg
After two difficult aways tests, Norwich will be confident of recording a victory against Bundesliga 2 opposition at Carrow Road on Friday night.
That being said, Magdeburg are unbeaten in pre-season for a reason and will provide a challenge, however we feel that the Canaries’ quality will shine through.
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