Town boss Mick McCarthy is again expected to field a different XI in each half when the Blues take on Fortuna Düsseldorf in a long-anticipated friendly at the Paul-Janes-Stadion this evening (KO 6.30pm local time, 5.30pm UK time).

McCarthy is likely to play two teams which are mix of first-team regulars, fringe players and youngsters as he did in last Saturday’s 6-0 defeat of Shelbourne in Dublin.

Daryl Murphy, David McGoldrick and Christophe Berra are again set to be absent having only started their pre-season training on Monday after being given two weeks extra off having been involved in international fixtures until mid-June.

Cameron Stewart, who has been told he can find another club, and Academy midfielder Kundai Benyu have both made the trip.

The Town players arrived in Düsseldorf yesterday morning and trained in the shadow of Fortuna’s main stadium the Esprit Arena. The squad, who have spent this morning being given a tour of the stadium, fly back to the UK on Saturday morning.

Fortuna have been forced to close the Nordtribüne (north stand) of the Paul-Janes-Stadion - the club’s second ground where they play friendlies and cup games and where their second team is based - for tonight’s match as a number of concrete steps are loose, reducing the capacity to 5,700 from 7,200. Fans with tickets in the Nordtribüne can switch to the Osttribüne (east stand). More than 600 Town supporters are making the trip.

Our guests of @Official_ITFC train @Duesseldorf with our stadium in the back. #f95 #itfc pic.twitter.com/b2PMYB8CBO– Fortuna Düsseldorf (@f95) July 16, 2015

Prior to kick-off there will be a 20-minutes each way fans’ match involving supporters of both teams on an artificial pitch outside Bar 95, the club house which is next to the Paul-Janes-Stadion (KO 4pm).

Some of those playing in that game will later take part in a match against the Fortuna Legends on the main pitch at 5pm ahead of the evening's main event.

After the friendly, both teams and fans of the two clubs will be attending a party at the Stahlwerk, a former steelworks which is now a bar.

Our guests of @Official_ITFC vistiting our stadium & studying some #f95 history. #itfc #f95itfc pic.twitter.com/AwdaJtGtan– Fortuna Düsseldorf (@f95) July 17, 2015

The friendly and surrounding events are the result of a growing friendship between the fans of the two clubs which now goes back more than a decade. A couple of years ago, Ulli Münsterberg told TWTD how the link originally came about.

You can find a Quick Fans’ Guide to Fortuna Düsseldorf written by Tim Edwards of the Supporters Club here, while HarryFromBath gives an insight into the mood in the Fortuna camp and looks at their squad here.

Photo: Action Images

SitfcB added 10:39 - Jul 17 I see Cameron Stewart has made this trip!
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CavendishBlue added 10:48 - Jul 17 At a time when footballers are at an all time low in the public's perception, this is the way!!!! We need to shout this event from the rooftops as to how you do football....as legends would have it , the Ipswich way.
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MeenoITFC added 10:48 - Jul 17 All round good spirit in the dressing room. Now we have a team that is good enough IMO to challenge for title. All i think is a new addition in at RB and maybe a midfielder.
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MeenoITFC added 10:48 - Jul 17 All round good spirit in the dressing room. Now we have a team that is good enough IMO to challenge for title. All i think is a new addition in at RB and maybe a midfielder.
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midastouch added 10:53 - Jul 17 This is interesting, shows you some of the German rivalries, when you look at a map of Germany there are a lot of teams bunched around Dusseldorf. https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130916085452AAcNhDF I wonder if Dusseldorf dislike any of these teams quite as much as we do Naaaaaaaaaaridge!!!
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theipswichman added 11:22 - Jul 17 This is brilliant, makes me proud that we have such a great club. Both Fortuna and ITFC should be proud and I'm sure it will be an enjoyable experience.
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HarryfromBath added 11:39 - Jul 17 midastouch - I could be wrong on this, but I think that FC Koln are Dusseldorf's nearest Norwich equivalent. There was the odd slightly disparaging comment about 'the Romans' which was their 'Budgie' equivalent name for Koln when reading through their forums. That said, reading through the comments on your link would suggest that nobody really likes FC Koln all that much. I wonder if it is similar to Yorkshire where the smaller town clubs in the area support each other against the city teams in Leeds and Sheffield.

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dusseldorf_blue added 12:05 - Jul 17 Harry indeed they are and the Düsseldorf - Köln rivarly runs a lot deeper than 'just' football. Some songs for this evening...... Cologne Cologne (sprich: "Kolon' Kolon'") die Scheisse vom Dom Cologne Cologne die Scheisse vom Dom Sieben Tage brennt der Kölner Dom sieben Tage brennt der Kölner Dom sieben Tage brennt er sieben Tage brennt er sieben Tage brennt der Kölner Dom Und im Dom da sitzt der FC Köln und im Dom da sitzt der FC Köln und im Dom da sitzt er unten im Dom da sitzt er unten im Dom da sitzt der FC Köln Und dann gibt es keine Kölner mehr und dann gibt es keine Kölner mehr und dann gibt es keine und dann gibt es keine und dann gibt es keine Kölner mehr Refrain Alle Böcke beißen alle Böcke beißen nur der Kölner Scheiss-Bock nicht alle Böcke beißen alle Böcke beißen nur der Kölner Scheiss-Bock nicht alle Böcke beißen alle Böcke beißen nur der Kölner Scheiss-Bock nicht alle Böcke beißen alle Böcke beißen nur der Kölner Scheiss-Bock nicht der kann das nicht das Arschgesicht ! Refrain Ein Kölner Fan zupft an deinem Schal du drehst dich um "Mach das nicht nochmal!" und er zupft nochmal du schlägst ihm ins Gesicht und du wirst sehn' Kölner wehrn' sich nicht und er zupft nochmal du schlägst ihm ins Gesicht und du wirst sehn' Kölner wehrn' sich nicht Refrain Es kommt die Zeit oooohhooooo in der das Wasser wieder steigt es kommt die Zeit oooohhooooo in der das Wasser wieder steigt oooohhooooo in der das Wasser wieder steigt oooohhooooo in der das Wasser wieder steigt Refrain Ja ihr seid schwule Kölner habt ne Mütze an ihr lasst euch ern grad verrän ihr schwules Kölner Pack ! ja ihr seid schwule Kölner habt ne Mütze an ihr lasst euch ern grad verrän ihr schwules Kölner Pack ! Refrain

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GermanTractorBoy added 12:48 - Jul 17 Ein wenig mehr Niveau wäre nicht schlecht...Es grüßt ein heute anwesender FC Köln und ITFC-Fan
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BlueandTruesince82 added 12:54 - Jul 17 I suggest a yearly Derby Exchange. Town fans to watch Fortuna vs Koln them to come watch us beat the scum, in seasons where there is no obvious derby then just pick the next most hated team. This year I would suggest they come watch us against derby or leeds COYB
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TennesseeBlue added 13:06 - Jul 17 Any trialists in the squad?
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WorcesterBlue added 13:39 - Jul 17 Lets not define ourselves by what we hate (like certain southern hemisphere cricket playing nations and some of our northern kilt wearing cousins). Let's define ourselves by what we love and what binds us i.e. a love of our local team and football. I know several Norwich fans who support their team with the same fervour that any of us do and for the same reasons - no problem with them at all. Whereas people who constantly slag off others for just following another team? Nuff said.

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cromwellblue added 14:11 - Jul 17 Having put that through google translate, not sure we'd get away with that here.
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afcfee added 14:57 - Jul 17 Any1 know any streams
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BerlinBlue added 16:07 - Jul 17 GermanTractorBoy: fühl dich nicht angegriffen. Obwohl das Lied teilweise zu weit geht, so sind halt manche Fussball-Fans. Zum Glück ist die Mehrheit nicht so dumm. Gruß mal Köln!
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GiveusanI added 16:17 - Jul 17 Well said Worcester Blue! Although I admire the Scotts pride and love of their culture. Not sure they all hate the English.
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BlueandTruesince82 added 17:10 - Jul 17 I do not hate all Norwich fans, I have spent much time in Norfolk and have many friends there. I do not hate the city, it is indeed a fine city with happy memories and hazy ones. I do however hate the football club. I am Ipswich, we are Ipswich and they are scum. For the 90 mins of a match friends or not they are only enemies, surely that is what football and indeed all sport is about?

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