Chelsea will be looking to end a run of four consecutive draws in all competitions when they welcome Norwich City to Stamford Bridge in an FA Cup third-round replay on Wednesday night.
Antonio Conte’s side were held to a scoreless stalemate by Leicester City at the weekend, which followed ties with Arsenal (0-0) in the EFL Cup, Norwich (0-0) in the FA Cup and Arsenal (2-2) in the Premier League. Their performance in the latest draw against Leicester was particularly poor, with the champions outplayed for much of the match and then failing to find a winner after their opponents were reduced to 10 men in the second period. Chelsea still have plenty to play for in 2017/18, but they need to improve quickly if they are to avoid a trophy-less season.
Norwich have picked up in recent weeks, winning three and drawing one of their last four Championship assignments to rise to 13th spot in the table. Just six points now separate the Canaries from the play-off places, with Saturday’s 1-0 win at Bristol City one of their most impressive results of the campaign so far. Goals have been hard to come by at times this term – Norwich did not manage a single shot on target against Chelsea in the first game between these two sides – but four clean sheets in their last five matches evidences the team’s solidity.
Ross Barkley could make his Chelsea debut after completing a move from Everton earlier this month, but Gary Cahill will miss out with a hamstring injury. Danny Drinkwater, Kenedy, Willy Caballero, Willian, Pedro Rodriguez and Michy Batshuayi all started at Carrow Road and could do so again here, with Eden Hazard, Alvaro Morata and Thibaut Courtois among those likely to be rested.
Norwich will have to make do without midfielder Louis Thompson (Achilles), while Matt Jarvis (ankle) and Tom Trybull (back) will be assessed before Wednesday. Nelson Oliveira continues to be linked with a move to Derby County but is likely to start at Stamford Bridge, although manager Daniel Farke may opt to rest a few of his regular starters ahead of Saturday’s clash with Sheffield United.
Chelsea have not been at their best in recent outings, but they will probably return to winning ways with a degree of comfort on Wednesday.
