Daniel Farke admits Manchester United’s FA Cup visit will really bring home to him what football is missing, without a packed Carrow Road to roar on his underdogs.

A chance to reach the last four for the first time since 1992 would have been the hottest ticket in town for those City supporters locked out as part of the elite game’s return.

“It would be even more of a dream tie if we could share this magic night with our supporters,” said the City boss. “That is what we were all hoping for after three unbelievably difficult away ties at Preston, Burnley and Tottenham; a game under floodlights at Carrow Road in a fantastic atmosphere.

“The first time in nearly 30 years I am told. Our supporters deserved to celebrate this with us. Now we don’t have the advantage of home fans. But it is still a big game. It is a big achievement to play in the quarter-finals.

“You need a home crowd to create the emotion. You take that away it favours the visiting team, or perhaps the team with the higher individual quality.”

Farke’s boys sprang a surprise at Tottenham in the previous round, to delight 9,000 travelling fans, and the head coach knows the Canaries are playing for big stakes.

“These are the games that provide special memories,” he said. “We want to make our fans happy and full of pride for Norwich City.

“From the first day I arrived here I showed what the cups meant to me. It might not be realistic for us to win the FA Cup, but it wasn’t realistic to win the league with a record number of goals last season.

“For Manchester United or Liverpool competing at this stage of cup competitions is business as usual.

“This won’t just be watched in the UK but around the whole world. We know we are the big underdog. I can’t guarantee some of my lads will not be thinking about how many millions are watching. That brings pressure but we have nothing to lose. No-one expects us to win. In Germany we have a saying, ‘if you don’t have a chance then use it,’ and that is what we will try to do.”

Farke rates the FA Cup as the pinnacle when it comes to domestic cup combat. Whether it can spark a Premier League revival is another matter.

“An unexpected win is good for the mood but this is a different competition. We are not thinking about the Premier League this weekend,” he said. “Success would be good for the confidence and belief to beat a top team because we have some to face in the league.

“In Germany we have the DFB-Pokal, always played in Berlin, which is more like a game for the whole country.

“You have the feeling maybe 80 million Germans are watching but I also know the FA Cup has even more history. I followed many famous games and it is why for me we value English football so much. The FA Cup is one step above, even in Germany, when it comes to prestige.”