Chelsea score predictions: Blues crush Canaries at the Bridge

Chelsea is hoping to rebound after a disheartening performance at Sheffield United. Luckily for the Blues, bottom of the table Norwich comes to town.

When Chelsea walked off the pitch at Bramall Lane, everyone and their mother thought the Blues would be out of the top four by the end of the match week. Incredibly, they stood firm in third as both Leicester City and Manchester United dropped points late. Once again, the Blues control their own destiny.

With last place Norwich coming to Stamford Bridge, Frank Lampard’s men must capitalize. Top four won’t be handed to them on a silver platter, they have to go take it. Our experts are fairly confident they’ll take all three points from this match and stay put in third. Here are our contributors’ predictions:

Michael DeVito: 2-1 Chelsea

This is a must win for the Blues. Poor defense and keeping notwithstanding, the
attackers have to do enough to bring home three points. Olivier Giroud has to start with Christian Pulisic. Willian looked like he was running in sand vs. Sheffield, so is it time to roll out Callum Hudson-Odoi? We’ll see.

Siddharth Bharanidharan: 3-1 Chelsea

The Blues should be able to win this. Lampard saw the Sheffield match as an eye-opener and will look to make some changes. The fans still trust him and he will definitely continue to deliver. It is all about putting out the right line-up from the start—hopefully Giroud gets the start. This is a must win, but Chelsea will get the victory.

Nate Hofmann: 2-1 Chelsea

The good news is that it would be hard to outdo the unmitigated disaster that was the Sheffield match. Simple law of averages suggests Chelsea will bounce back, at least somewhat. Norwich is already relegated, and the Canaries haven’t won a match since February 28. Frankly, they’ve been sleepwalking back to the Championship since the new year. This feels like an easy one on paper . . . which is exactly when things get weird for this side. Expect a dominant first half, followed by a tense second where the Blues give up a late goal to leave everyone biting their nails to the cuticles. Chelsea mercifully escapes with the three points.

Abhishek Pancholi: 3-1 Chelsea

A must-win game. No margin for error. Let’s get this done.

Matt Hancock-Bruce: 3-0 Chelsea

Given Norwich’s form, anything other than a clean sheet and a handful of goals should be considered a disappointment.

Varun Dani: 4-2 Chelsea

I have absolutely zero confidence in this defence and our formidable, magical regista, but I do trust Giroud, Pulisic and Willian. At this point, we can only rely on our attack and a bit of luck to secure top four—and we will.

Barrett Rouen: 3-0 Chelsea

Frank will fix it. I imagine there will be a return for the magical bearded one up top. Hudson-Odoi will play his part, the midfield will likely be entirely different and the defence . . . well, I have no comment.

Hugo Amaya: 2-1 Chelsea

I want to say that the Blues and Lampard learned their lesson, but they didn’t. This will be a close game where Chelsea will struggle to get its act together, particularly the back line. However, the Blues’ attack will be just enough to get the team those three points. Considering Abraham’s lack of performance last match, Giroud will start, score and Willian will continue to make a point for his contract extension by scoring the winner.

Oliver Smith: 4-1 Chelsea

There is no point dwelling on the unmitigated disaster of the Sheffield game and the Blues need to seriously invest in some defensive reinforcements. Despite that, there is a gulf in class between Chelsea and Norwich, so the win should come with ease for Lampard’s team. This might be the game where Hudson-Odoi reminds us of his potential, as it looks like Willian could benefit from a break.

Scott Brant: 3-0 Chelsea

The Blues bounce back—hopefully—after one of the most disappointing matches of the season. Here’s to Norwich rolling over and giving up early, and the Blues winning with ease. The Canaries are ducks in the water, fish in a barrel, they want us to just put them out to their misery early. I look for Chelsea to really push and try to get back in the zone. I think the Blues and Lampard will be very happy with a clean sheet and a dominant performance. Abraham, Willian and Ruben Loftus-Cheek to score.

Kevin Peacock: 4-0 Chelsea

Poor old Norwich is done. The Canaries only have pride to play for now and if they bring their ‘A game’, Chelsea’s faultering defenders may struggle. However, this is a must-win game for just one team. Should Lampard’s side fail to get the three points, they’ll deserve all the Thursday night football they may get. Chelsea won’t lose though, of course it won’t. The Blues will be smarting from Sheffield United’s humiliating defeat and will tear the Canaries apart winning 4-0. Goals from anyone in the XI secures the victory.

Gabe Henderson: 4-2 Chelsea

I can’t even begin to imagine the grilling the gaffer gave his players after the shameful performance at Bramall Lane. Norwich is going to approach this game in one or two ways: either the Canaries come out guns blazin’ because they have nothing to play for OR they come out sluggish because, well, they have nothing to play for.

Norwich has already been relegated and as such, the Blues should beat them into the ground. I don’t know if this squad is capable of doing that to anyone at this point, so expect Norwich to find the back of Chelsea’s net at least twice. Three points regardless because the Blues are always at their best with their backs against the wall.

Olaoluwa Nwobodo: 3-0 Chelsea

When the team comes under fire, it performs. Norwich is already out of the Premier League, the Canaries have nothing to play for except to play to disrupt Chelsea’s Champions League hopes. The Blues should have enough about them to see off a brave Norwich side.

Kade Kistner: 4-1 Chelsea

One has to think after such a pitiful performance against Sheffield United on Saturday that Chelsea will be motivated to rectify the poor result. What better opponent than bottom of the table and already relegated Norwich to get back on track? The Blues should have loads of opportunities to score and they will take advantage of a beaten down, already relegated side. However, expect Norwich to score a goal and once again keep Chelsea from achieving a clean sheet. The Blues backline is in abysmal shape and has little confidence.

What are your score predictions for the match? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!