Farke expects Arsenal to have renewed energy for Norwich clash

Norwich manager Daniel Farke expects Arsenal to have a “fresh energy” when the sides meet at Carrow Road on Sunday.

Unai Emery was sacked as head coach on Friday and former under-23s manager and assistant head coach Freddie Ljungberg has been appointed as his interim replacement.

The Gunners head to Carrow Road on a seven-game winless streak, which saw the end of Emery’s tenure at the club, but Farke expects a difficult challenge.

“I think there will be fresh energy in the Arsenal side,” Farke told a press conference reported by the club website.

“To have a legend like Freddie in charge will be a big boost for the fans and the players.”

On the change in manager, the German boss said: “You feel for the head coach when the relationship between him and the club comes to an end.

“It’s still a top class club with top class players.

“It’s perhaps more difficult to play a side when they have fresh energy, but it is what it is and we’ll handle the situation.”

The Canaries have also struggled in recent weeks, but brought their own seven-match winless streak to an end on November 23 with a 2-0 win at Everton.

The result saw Norwich move off the bottom of the table and into 18th place above Southampton and Watford, but Farke insisted the club were not getting carried away with the win.

“We’re not too down after disappointing results and weren’t too high after the Everton win.

“We remain the underdogs in every game, especially against Arsenal. But we always have a chance.”

Farke added: “We had some highlights in the first 12 games but weren’t overly happy with the amount of points.

“The main part of the season started at Everton to determine the table. We want to be as strong as possible.”

With Norwich’s squad slowly returning to full strength after a number of injury problems, midfielder Todd Cantwell is expected to be available for Sunday’s tie, despite missing training early on in the week.

Grant Hanley remains unavailable after groin and hernia surgery while Timm Klose has a long-term injury.

Jamal Lewis has returned to training this week, but could miss out on the Arsenal game, while Alex Tettey is unavailable for personal reasons.