Norwich head coach Daniel Farke knows tackling Manchester City will not define their season as he prepares his team to face one of the biggest challenges in world football.
The Canaries, who won the Sky Bet Championship last season, started life back in the Premier League with a 3-0 home defeat by Liverpool.
Things do not get much easier, with a trip to the Ethiad Stadium on Saturday.
Last time Norwich were in the top flight two seasons ago, they memorably beat City at home during September 2019.
However, following Project Restart, Farke’s side lost 5-0 away as they finished rock bottom.
“We know it is one of the biggest tasks in world football if you face a Pep Guardiola side in the first home game back in front of their fans,” Farke said.
“We will have to be spot on, every detail has to be perfect to give ourselves a chance.”
The German coach added: “It is always great to win points in these games, but let’s be honest – these are not the defining moments.
“The win (over Manchester City) two years ago was not a guarantee to stay in this league, so they are not the crucial games within the season, but we are highly motivated for these games.
“We know we are not the favourite, but we want to grind out a performance and a result.
“We just have to be careful when there has been a difficult game that we are not too down after a loss, asking too many questions.”
Norwich sold star man Emi Buendia for a club-record fee to Aston Villa earlier in the transfer window, but also continue to look to further strengthen the squad.
A loan deal for Manchester United full-back Brandon Williams is reported to be close to being finalised, while Rostov’s Norway midfielder Mathias Normann is another said to be on Farke’s radar.
“We definitely need to improve our squad further on,” the Norwich boss said. “We need to bring a full-back option in, that is for sure, and something in the central defence, perhaps also in the holding midfielder.
“If one or two million pounds to us would not matter, then we would have brought them in already, but in our position you have to be a bit more patient.
“I am quite confident we will do some business and in the end have a proper competitive group.”
Farke added: “We definitely want a left-full back because we need to have at least two options for each and every position.
“But it is not our style to talk on rumours or names, we will confirm it once the business is done.”
Farke’s admiration of City boss Pep Guardiola is reciprocal, the Spaniard describing the German coach as “exceptional” and enjoying to watch his brand of football.
“I don’t have a really good relationship with Pep Guardiola because he is the best coach in the world, it is because he is also a fantastic human being,” Farke said.
“He is a legend, no coach of over the past 15 years has influenced football the way Pep did. He was always ahead of the wave.”
