Chelsea will look to halt the demise of their Premier League title reign as Norwich City travels to Stamford Bridge this weekend.
The Blues need to make a statement coming back from the November international break, still hovering among the depths of the table and facing criticism at every turn. An astounding seventh loss of the season came in the most recent outing against Stoke City a fortnight ago, where some noticeable improvements in vital areas were cancelled out by what is becoming a typical moment of foolish defending. As the team seemed to have lacked reinforcement at the halftime break, Jose Mourinho’s return to the sidelines after serving a one-match ban from the stadium could prove critical to the reining champions’ hopes of claiming a desperately needed win.
Alex Neil’s side is keeping their heads above water, sitting one-spot above Chelsea in 15th, but further solidification is needed leading up to the New Year to avoid slipping into the relegation battle. Norwich were able to record a first win in over two-months before the break, edging out Swansea 1-0 after Johny Howson’s scrambling goal, however, a visit to Stamford Bridge is hardly the ideal way for the Canaries to continue their gained momentum.
Key Battle – Willian vs Wes Hoolahan
Able to showcase some of the best form of his career amid Chelsea’s slump, Willian has looked like the only real attacking spark that the Londoners have had on the pitch. With six goals in 19 appearances over all competitions, the Brazilian still possesses what was once a team-wide ability to hurt the opposition from any area on the field. His consistency from free-kicks can change a game in a split second, while he can also comfortably beat a defender or two before setting up a teammate with a deadly accurate pass.
However, the recent showing s from Chelsea’s defence with have Canaries fans quietly confident that their attacking weapons can make a huge impact at Stamford Bridge. Providing the creativity when moving forward will be Wes Hoolahan, who is certainly capable of charging towards the likes of John Terry to cause more headaches inside the box for the reigning champions. With five goals and one assist in his nine top-flight appearances, the Irishman will only need to be afforded a yard or two of space to test the goalkeeper on his own, or to combine with Robbie Brady or Cameron Jerome.
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Team News
While showing no fear to rotate the underperformers in his team, Jose Mourinho may look for some stability in the form of Eden Hazard’s return to the starting XI for this weekend. First-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is the only major unavailability and although he has resumed training for the Blues, Asmir Begovic will hold the gloves for a week or two longer at least.
The Canaries will welcome captain Russell Martin back to the starting XI following a one-game suspension, while Nathan Redmond should also be available on the wing after a thigh-scare. Matt Jarvis is likely to miss the weekend’s action though, due to a knee injury suffered in the match with Manchester City at the beginning of the month.
Head-to-head
History has seen these sides clash 65 times so far with Chelsea enjoying a dominant record in the fixture, winning 34 and only losing to the Canaries 10 times. Norwich’s last victory over the Blues came in 1994.
Previous Meeting
A 0-0 draw late in the 2013-14 campaign was a surprising result when the teams last played in a match that for the most part lacked attacking conviction, yet the result was enough to briefly keep Norwich’s hopes of surviving the end of the season in the top-flight briefly alive.
Prediction
The next few weeks may well be make-or-break for Jose Mourinho and it is vital that Chelsea capitalise on their home advantage tomorrow night to get the necessary result against the Canaries. In their current form every opposition team has looked capable against the Blues at times this season, but with the infamous manager returning to the sidelines and their reputations increasingly on the line, the champions should take this one out with authority.
Chelsea 2 Norwich City 0
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