Premier League preview and odds: Chelsea vs. Norwich

Published on: 17/11/2015

Premier League preview and odds: Chelsea vs. Norwich

November 21, 2015 15:00pm - Stamford Bridge

Premier League

Chelsea will make yet another attempt to kick-start their season this weekend when they welcome fellow strugglers Norwich to Stamford Bridge in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday.

No longer a blip for the Blues

With 12 games of the season gone, Chelsea are in the unusual position of having to face a newly-promoted Norwich side that are above them in the table. They are just three points above the relegation zone and have lost four out of their last five games.

What seemed like a blip has turned into a crisis and if Chelsea continue in this vein, they could enter the New Year embroiled in a relegation battle - a situation completely alien to boss Jose Mourinho. One thing is for sure, the constant stream of excuses and deflecting of blame from the Blues boss is starting to sound tired and desperate. The time has come for the highly-decorated Coach to take responsibility and tackle the situation on the training ground.

They come into this game on the back of a three-game losing streak which culminated in a 1-0 defeat away to Stoke City. Mourinho was banned from the touchline for that game but will back to oversee proceedings this weekend.

Norwich boosted by win over Swans

Up until last week, Norwich had been playing well but not getting results, according to boss Alex Neil. However, after a run of four straight defeats, their hard work was finally rewarded with a narrow win over Swansea City last time out. The victory ensured that the Canaries retain a healthy four point gap between themselves and the relegation zone heading into this weeks clash against the reigning Premier League champions.

Norwich have the goal scoring record of a mid-table team but only two teams have conceded more - a statistic that clearly highlights their current shortcomings. They have failed to keep a clean sheet away from home, and last weeks 1-0 win over Swansea was their first home shut-out. In addition, both teams have scored in 83% of the Canaries away games.

Team news

Eden Hazard, Kurt Zouma and Radamel Falcao are all expected to be fit it time for this weekends game. Meanwhile, Thibaut Courtois remains in recovery.

Norwich could welcome back Nathan Redmond from a thigh injury, while Matt Jarvis faces another couple of weeks on the side-lines as he continues to recover from a knee problem.

Recent form (League)

Chelsea: LLLWL

Norwich City: WLLLLL

Betting odds and tips

The bookies, like everyone else, just cannot accept that current crisis at Chelsea will not end soon and have priced them as clear favourites for this game. However, a best price of 5/11 just does not seem like good value given their current form. Norwich have already snatched draws at Liverpool and West Ham this season and could well grab a point against a Chelsea side devoid of any confidence. The draw can be backed at 15/4 with Bet365.

Both teams have score in all but one of Norwichs away games, that outcome can be backed at 20/21 with Betvictor.

Published on: 17/11/2015

Any odds displayed within this preview were correct at the time of publishing (17/11/2015 14:23:53) but are subject to change.