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CHELSEA
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Paul Lambertai??i??s men will be chasing their third straight victory in the season when they take on Chelsea this Saturday, in Carrow Road.
The Canaries have been a revelation in the season. Presently, they stand at ninth spot in the league. In the last six games they have lost only once. They have played ten home games thus far and have won four of those, losing three. Good news for them is that Steve Morison is in top form. The main concern for the team is their fragile defense as the Canaries are yet to keep a clean sheet in this campaign.
Their opponents Chelsea, the erstwhile title challengers, were gifted with a four-point breathing space in a battle to hold on to the fourth spot by the Gunners who stumbled unexpectedly against Swansea. Chelsea have won all three games this year and have lost only once in the last six games. Chelsea are fresh from a hard-fought victory against Sunderland, where they somehow managed to hold on to a slender lead. The concern for them is that they failed to add another goal in the game. Good news is that Fernando Torres seemed to be almost at his elemental best in that game; he will soon find himself amongst goals if he manages to continue with that kind of a form. The signing of Gary Cahill has also boosted the moral of the team ahead of this clash. In other news, Alex is in talks with QPR for a proposed transfer and McEachran has moved on loan to Swansea.
Team News and Tactical Brief
Norwich City
Reserve goalkeeper Declan Rudd will miss this clash. Apart from that De Laet, Ai??forward James Vaughan, defender Elliot Ward, and defender Russell Martin may miss this tie. Marc Tierney may get fit in time to take on Chelsea.
The Canaries may go with a two-man man attack line and a four-man midfield in a 4-4-2 set up. The breakneck counter-attack that broke West Bromai??i??s resilience in their last game could be their primary weapon. Both Terry and Luiz has been caught off-guard with the counter-attacking tactics and Terryai??i??s poor acceleration makes him a susceptible candidate against teams that play a waiting game. Interestingly, the four-man midfield of the Canaries could also prove vital against a three-man Chelsea midfield. If they can manage to boss the midfield on Saturday, despite having a leaky defense, Norwich will surely be up for this game against Chelsea.
Probable Starting Lineup (4-4-2):Ai??Ruddy, Martin,Whitbread, Ayala,Drury, Bennett, Johnson, Hoolahan, Pilkington, Morison, Holt
Chelsea
Drogba and Kalou will be missed as the two strikers have left to play for Ivory Coast in the African Cup of Nations. Apart from them, Mikel and Ivanovic are also likely to miss this tie through injury. Good news for Villas-Boas is that Essien could be ready for the game. New signing Cahill will also be up for selection.
Villas-Boas is expected to deploy the same 4-5-1 formation. Attack will be concentrated mainly down the flanks with both wide-midfielders Ai??being supported by the fullbacks to get any positive purchase. Torres will get assistance from Lampard as a roaming midfielder and Mata who would often play as an auxiliary attacker to open up spaces deep in the opponentai??i??s defensive line.
Probable Starting Lineup (4-1-4-1):Ai??Cech; Bosingwa, David Luiz, Terry, Cole, Romeu, Ramires, Malouda, Lampard, Mata, Torres
TheHardTackleai??i??s PLAYER TO WATCH OUT FOR
Steve Morison (Norwich City)
Former Millwall striker Morison is in the form of his life. With the winning strike in the previous game, the Welshman has taken his season tally to nine goals. If Morison combines well with his midfielders, his movements will wreak havoc agianst the slow Chelsea centre-halves.
TheHardTackleai??i??s PREDICTION
Norwich City 1-1 Chelsea FC
Fresh from a commanding victory, Norwich will be high on confidence. As an inconsistent Chelsea take the field on Saturday, the canaries would like to leave the visitors high and dry with their counter-attacking football. All in all, it may be a cagey match and the contesting teams are likely share the spoils.
TheHardTackleai??i??s BLAST FROM THE PAST
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