Teemu Pukki: Canaries can compete in PL

Teemu Pukki is confident Norwich City will prove they can handle the quality of the Premier League as the huge season-opener against Liverpool edges ever closer. Norwich stormed to the Championship title last season under the guidance of manager Daniel Farke, securing their return to England’s top flight for the first time since the 2015/16 campaign.

Finland international Pukki was an integral part of the side that earned promotion, scoring an impressive 29 goals from 43 appearances to top the league’s goalscoring charts in his debut season at Carrow Road.

The 29-year-old has kept that momentum going in pre-season, having bagged two goals on the tour of Germany, including in a 2-1 win over one of his former employers, Schalke. Four friendly matches remain for Farke’s men to get themselves into peak condition and Pukki is adamant his Norwich team-mates will be able to cope with the high Premier League standard.

“It was a great last season,” he was quoted as saying by www.pinkun.com. “I know it’s going to be getting harder all the time when you go into the Premier League, but it’s a chance for all of us to prove that we can do it at this level – and I firmly believe we can do that.”

Norwich face the daunting trip to European champions Liverpool on August 9 and the visitors are massive 17.00 outsiders to pull off a shock win, while the draw is priced at 7.00 and the Reds are 1.17 favourites.

The Canaries are winless in the last 12 meetings against Liverpool, with the last contest ending in a thrilling 5-4 victory to the Reds back in January 2016.