After beating Gorleston 7-0 and putting 10 past Hitchin Town, Norwich City will turn their attention to Cambridge United, their third preseason friendly. The U’s finished 19th in their first season in League Two last campaing, and had a good FA Cup run to the Round of 32. To help preview this match from the Cambridge perspective, U’s fan and the YouTube’s GoalsGalore6, Oscar Leeks, spoke with Read Norwich.
Read Norwich – How do you think this friendly will help Cambridge this season?
Oscar: In my opinion, the game will give us a good feel for what we’re going to be coming up against this season. When we last played Norwich, it was a pre-season friendly just before the 2013-14 season and we went on to win the league despite finishing mid table in previous seasons. The point I’m trying to make is that teams like Norwich are great to warm up a team like Cambridge for the season.
How do you feel about the game being 120 minutes long?
I am still not too sure why the game has been made 120 minutes long, but it will definitely help the U’s. Nearing the end of last season, I noticed that Cambridge were finding it difficult to sustain full effort throughout the game. A good example is when we were comfortably ahead of Accrington Stanley 2-1 (at home), but when Ryan Bird scored to put Cambridge 2-1 up, it all started going downhill. It was as if everyone had just stopped trying, and Accrington got a deserved equalizer in the 92nd minute. In conclusion, the Cambridge players need to improve their fitness if they want to avoid another disappointing finish in the league.
Who is one Cambridge player to watch out for in this game?
The one player I’m going to be looking out for is our promotion hero, Luke Berry. He has recently returned to Cambridge after an unsuccessful season with Barnsley. It’s his chance to shine against a big club!
Where do you see Norwich (as well as Cambridge) finishing this season?
I actually have a bit of a soft spot for Norwich because two of my close friends support them, this is why I’m hoping they can achieve a strong first season back in the Premier League. They have a very good squad as well, so I am predicting that Norwich will finish around 14th. As for Cambridge, I am hoping they can avoid another relegation battle. We started last season well but then sunk into losing a lot. Looking at that, as well as the fact that it’s only our second season back in the Football League, I am predicting that Cambridge will finish around 10th.
Finally, what is your prediction for the game?
After both Cambridge and Norwich thrashed their opponents in their last pre-season matches, I can see it being a tight game. There’s obviously a big difference in technical ability and skill, yet I cannot see Norwich trying their hardest in a match like this. So my score prediction is going to be a 2-2 draw.
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There you have it, a solid look at Cambridge United. I would like to thank Oscar again for coming on and helping us preview the match. He says it is going to be 2-2; I am going for a 3-1 Norwich win. What do you think? Leave a comment below with your score prediction for this friendly.
