Chelsea FC Visit Norwich City: Predictions
Chelsea FC pay a visit to Norwich City this evening as the two clubs square off in some Premier League action. Here are the predictions from the Pride Of London staff!
The Premier League gifts us midweek football as Chelsea travel to Carrow Road to take on Alex Neil’s Norwich City side. Ahead of the game, I’ve had a whip-round the virtual Pride Of London
office
Google Group to get some predictions for tonight’s clash.
Khaled Abdallah: 3-0 to the Chels! Hope we see some squad rotation against a club that’s really poor and will probably be relegated this season. Especially Ruben Loftus-Cheek to celebrate his new contract and maybe Bertrand Traore will get more than a cameo. The more likely scenario is Guus Hiddink just swapping one or two players but keeping guys like Eden Hazard and Baba Rahman in the squad to build up their confidence. Steven Naismith is always a thorn in Chelsea’s side but he won’t do enough to trouble the Blues this time around.
Andre Carlisle: Norwich are awful, they’ve conceded the joint-most goals in the league (51!) and don’t particularly care to balance the scales by scoring goals of their own. Chelsea, this season, still love making most matches somewhere between difficult and erroneously hard. But even during Chelsea’s most putrid form this season – October 18th-to-December 18th – their only Premier League win was a 1-0 against Norwich. It’s hard to tell if Chelsea are back to the point it’s wise to predict outcomes based on the standard of table position and current form. Still, the Blues should collect the points; and if things are back to normal, via a 3-0…if not, 2-1.
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Connor Tomko: After Chelsea finally got their first back-to-back wins in the Premier League against Southampton, they are about to take on a dull and porous Norwich City team and should be able to handedly take all three points.
The Blues should be in line to take home the victory the way they’ve been playing, especially with an in-form Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa, and with Hazard starting to find his feet again. They’re also on a 12 match unbeaten run against Norwich in all competitions and are unbeaten in their last five at Carrow Road.
Norwich were for the most part defensively sound against league-leaders Leicester last weekend in the Foxes’s backyard and should’ve really earned a draw. Leicester didn’t have a shot on target until the 58th minute. While the Canaries have taken only a measly point from their last seven games, and while matches against relegation candidates late in the season can be tricky, Chelsea walk away with a 3-0 victory.
Taylor Anderson: I’m looking to see a Chelsea victory, Norwich are awful right now, and we’ve just come off a come from behind win at St Mary’s. I’d look for more youth in the team, Ruben Loftus-Cheek has signed a new extension and I’d like to see him start, and we could see Diego Costa get a breather by either coming off the bench, or getting a full match off with Traore getting a start. I believe the manager had said Alexandre Pato may be cleared for some match action, but not a full game, so we could see him on the bench as well. With Fabregas in form and Hazard returning to form, I expect a solid victory and 3 more points from Chelsea. 3-1 to Chelsea.
Devesh Rasgotra: We could actually win three Premier League games in a row! This fixture will be tougher than people think as Norwich will be looking for a performance at home. However, we are playing well and I expect a 2-0 win for the Blues.
Marco Vonderheide: Coming off the huge win against the Saints, Chelsea are primed to finally make it back into the top half (unbelievable!) with a victory today. Given Norwich’s struggles this season and their terrible form, I see a comfortable 4-1 Chelsea win. Steven Naismith will get a consolation goal at the end of the match but it won’t have any significance. Chelsea will pick up their third win in a row and keep up the undefeated league streak.
Eric McCoy: A bit of squad rotation is expected from Chelsea as we head into this game. I think this is ultimately a good thing, and if we’re not going to give younger players like Traore and Loftus-Cheek a chance to start now, I’m not really sure when we do. That being said, a midweek match away to a team fighting for Premier League survival can be difficult, and I’m concerned some of our potential line-up’s inexperience may show. That’s without even mentioning the man who must sleep with a Stamford The Lion voodoo doll by his side, Steven Naismith. I think Chelsea will still get the win, but I expect it to be a little closer than we’d all like. 2-1 to the Blues.
Next: Chelsea FC Predicted XI For Norwich: Reprieve For Rahman
As for me? I’m going with a comfortable 2-0 win. Let us know your thoughts and predictions in the comments below!