Norwich v Chelsea: in-form hosts to frustrate Blues
Published:If Rafa Benitez was allowed to ask for two things this Christmas, a shiny new beard trimmer would surely be at the top of his list, while three points against Norwich on Boxing day would surely be second.
There’s some good news for Mr Benitez – beard trimmers are available from all good high street chemists or electrical outlets but, unfortunately, three points against the Canaries aren’t quite as easy to come by.
Chris Hughton’s men are in the midst of a brilliant run of form and have won all of their previous five Premier League games at Carrow Road. During that run they’ve seen off Manchester United and Arsenal, and they’re currently 3/1 to get their third big scalp with a victory over Chelsea.
It’s a tempting proposition, especially considering Chelsea’s less than stellar record on the road in recent weeks, even if they will be buzzing on confidence after slaughtering Aston Villa 8-0.
The Blues have won just one of their previous four Premier League games away from Stamford Bridge (although that was in their last trip to Sunderland) and have suffered defeats against both West Bromwich Albion and West Ham United.
They weren’t exactly impressive in the Club World Cup and it would be no shock if they were to come undone in East Anglia on their travels again/.
However, the Blues were ruthless in their 5-1 defeat of Leeds in the Capital One Cup last week and, after seeing off the Canaries 4-1 earlier in the season Chelsea’s odds of 4/6 to pick up all three points are actually pretty decent.
However, Norwich were able to hold the Blues to a goalless draw the last time they met at Carrow Road though and another draw looks the most tempting of match bets at 13/5.
With Chelsea scoring for fun at present, over 2.5 goals is hard to oppose at 4/6.
