Five facts: Numbers you need to know ahead of Chelsea vs Norwich
Following on from Manchester United’s inability to fully capitalise on Chelsea’s defeat at Sheffield United - conceding a late leveller to Southampton on Monday – the Blues are back in action and have a chance to put distance between themselves and the chasing pack in a thrilling race for a top four finish.
Frank Lampard’s men host a Norwich side whose relegation back to the Championship was confirmed over the weekend, so it will be interesting to see whether the Canaries play with greater freedom or continue to capitulate. These are the need to know numbers ahead of another key clash at Stamford Bridge in the battle for European football.
Chelsea a different proposition at home
While their numbers may be identical in terms of points won at home and away this season, with 30 apiece, the manner in which the Blues have amassed said points has been very different.
Lampard’s side are one of just three in the Premier League – along with Palace and Southampton – to have scored more goals on the road than on home soil this season, and by a considerable margin too. Indeed, the Blues have scored a higher proportion of their total goals away from home (36/63 equating to 57 per cent), with top scorers Tammy Abraham, Willian and Christian Pulisic all preferring away days.
Norwich’s attack-minded reputation taking a battering
While Norwich’s top scorer in home matches alone this season is in fact greater than Chelsea (Teemu Pukki – 7), their record away from home, particularly in the final third, is woeful. The Finland international is the only Canaries player to have scored more than once in the league on the road, with four enough to account for over half of his side’s shambolic total of seven away goals.
It’s not just on their travels where Norwich have struggled since the turn of the year, however, with just five league goals across 15 matches in 2020. You have to venture back to December 1st to find the last league game with more than one Norwich player on the scoresheet (at the right end), though they did manage that feat in the reverse fixture when Pukki and Todd Cantwell found the net in a 3-2 defeat.
Norwich’s best bet on the break?
There is no doubt that Chelsea are expected to dominate possession at Stamford Bridge, so Norwich will hope to exploit a familiar weakness in the Blues’ backline. Far from watertight all season, Lampard’s side have conceded the joint-most goals from counter attacks in the Premier League this season, with seven on par with relegation threatened Aston Villa.
Blues bucking a post-lockdown trend
While the return to action from a lengthy absence has seen a number of matches start slowly and go into the interval without a break in the deadlock, Chelsea are one of just two teams – along with Manchester City – that are yet to see in a first half at 0-0 post-lockdown.
Is Olivier Giroud the best bet?
It is fair to say many Chelsea fans were not too pleased to see Tammy Abraham’s name in the starting XI against Sheffield United, even if he had broken a ten-match goal drought from the bench against Crystal Palace just days beforehand. The likelihood is that Giroud will return to the side against Norwich, but the Frenchman’s record against the Canaries is a poor one, with just one goal in eight appearances.
The former Arsenal man has played 469 minutes versus tonight’s opponents since he last scored in a 3-1 victory for the Gunners back in 2013, while Abraham was the star of the show in the reverse fixture, bagging a brace.
Full Chelsea vs Norwich match preview - probable lineups, team news and prediction
