Team
news, stats and prediction ahead of Chelsea vs Norwich in the Premier League
on Saturday; kick-off 12.30pm.
Team news
Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner will miss out through injury when Chelsea host
Norwich in Saturday's early Premier League kick-off.
Lukaku suffered an ankle injury and Werner a hamstring problem when the
Blues thumped Malmo 4-0 in Wednesday's Champions League clash.
Christian Pulisic remains sidelined with a troublesome ankle complaint of
his own.
Norwich manager Daniel Farke says on-loan Chelsea midfielder Billy Gilmour
is happy at Carrow Road despite having limited playing time in recent weeks
Bottom-of-the-table Norwich will be without on-loan Chelsea midfielder Billy
Gilmour, who is unable to face his parent club.
Mathias Normann is fit after being forced off during the closing stages
against Brighton with cramp, but Todd Cantwell is not yet in contention
after his recent Achilles and ankle problems.
Full-back Sam Byram (hamstring) continues his recovery, but centre-half
Christoph Zimmermann needs ankle surgery and faces up to six weeks out.
Opta stats
Chelsea have won 10 of their last 12 Premier League games against Norwich
(D2), last losing against the Canaries in the competition back in December
1994 (0-3).
After winning their first two Premier League away games against Chelsea in
1992-93 and 1993-94, Norwich have taken just one point from their subsequent
seven trips to Stamford Bridge (D1 L6).
Norwich have lost each of their last 10 Premier League matches in London,
last earning points from such a fixture with a 2-2 draw against West Ham in
September 2015.
Since Wolves beat Man Utd 2-1 back in February 2011, the side starting the
day bottom of the Premier League table has lost 11 of the last 12 clashes
with the side starting the day top (D1), including seven of the last eight
without scoring a goal. Chelsea themselves have beaten the side bottom of
the table more often than any other team since the competition was formed in
1992 (42).
Excluding MD1 matches, this will be Norwich's 38th consecutive Premier
League game in the relegation zone. Only Swindon (40 in 1993-94) have ever
had a longer such run in the competition.
Norwich are winless in their last 16 Premier League away games (D3 L13),
netting just four goals in that run. The Canaries are without a goal in
their last 10 hours and 26 minutes of play on the road in the competition,
since Emi Buendía netted against Watford in July 2020.
No side has conceded fewer goals than Chelsea in the Premier League this
season (3), while Norwich have the worst attack so far (2 goals scored).
However, the Canaries are looking to keep three consecutive Premier League
clean sheets for the first time since November 2012, the third game of which
was a 1-0 victory against league leaders Manchester United.
Of all goalkeepers with at least 10 starts in Premier League history,
Chelsea's Édouard Mendy has the highest clean sheet ratio, keeping a shutout
in 20 of his 38 starts in the competition (53%). The Senegalese 'keeper made
six second half saves in the Blues' 1-0 win at Brentford last time out.
Ben Chilwell has scored in each of his last three Premier League appearances
for Chelsea, having scored just twice in his first 26 appearances for the
club in the competition.
Romelu Lukaku scored three goals in his first three Premier League
appearances following his return to Chelsea, averaging four shots per 90
minutes in these games. Since then, the Belgian has gone four games without
a goal, averaging just 1.6 shots per 90 in this time.
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