English Premier
2011-08-27 - Chelsea vs Norwich
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football : English Premier League
Saturday 27 August 2011 - Kickoff 3pm
Chelsea
Andre Villa-Boas made his 2nd significant signing of the Summer when picking up Juan Mata from Valencia and he looks just the kind of player this ageing side has been missing. The pursuit of Luka Modric looks to have reached a dead end and it would be a surprise if Chelsea dipped into the transfer market again in the next few days.
The team have looked a little short of ideas in their opening 2 League games of the season as they drew at Stoke and then beat West Brom, having to come from 0-1 behind. They are 6th in the Premier League table, but the fans at Stamford Bridge will be looking for a much more cohesive performance in this game.
Chelsea's win over West Brom was actually their first in 5 Premier League games combined with the back end of last season. However, they are unbeaten in their last 6 competitive games at Stamford Bridge, winning 5 of them since being beaten by Manchester United in the Champions League Quarter Final. The Blues have scored at least 2 goals in their last 5 games at home.
Hilario will likely retain his place in goal as Petr Cech is not due to return till the latter part of September. David Luiz is back in training and could be on the bench even after Alex's mistake that cost Chelsea a goal against West Brom. Romelu Lukaku and Juan Mata are both likely to be on the bench too, but Michael Essien and Daniel Sturridge are out.
Norwich
Norwich City are perhaps a little unfortunate to have not won either one of their first 2 Premier League games, but the squad was brought back down to Earth with a crushing 0-4 home loss to League One MK Dons in the Carling Cup. While Paul Lambert made 11 changes from the side that played against Stoke on Sunday, it was still a result that would have affected the side.
The Canaries have picked up 2 points in their first 2 games, but were seconds away from winning their first game against Stoke last weekend. They sit in mid-table at this early stage of the new season, but this is going to be their toughest test so far.
A funny statistic shows that Norwich have not won an away Premier League game since December 1994, a run of 31 games. Norwich lost 7 of their last 8 away games in their last Premier League season in 2004/05, but earned a 1-1 draw at Wigan in their opening game this season.
Daniel Ayala has been ruled out for 2 months, while Wesley Hoolahan is a doubt with an hamstring injury. James Vaughan is out and Paul Lambert is expected to restore the first team that played against Stoke as far as possible.
Head to Head
Norwich have not enjoyed their last 2 visits to Stamford Bridge, losing 4-0 on both occasions, although the last of those was in the FA Cup in 2007.
Prediction
I think the signing of Juan Mata has changed a lot of things about this Chelsea side as everything I felt they struggled to do have been rectified to a point. They now have a player that can beat a man, can score and create goals from the midfield, and one who has pace to burn.
While Mata will not be starting this week, his signing should give the rest of the squad a boost and I think they will be able to take advantage of Norwich here.
The Canaries might not have played their full team against the MK Dons, but the result may have an adverse affect on the team considering the manner of the defeat. Paul Lambert likes his side to play football, but that could play into the hands of Chelsea and may lead to a comfortable home win.
With the attacking options Chelsea have, I expect they can cover the Asian Handicap.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Chelsea 3-0 Norwich
FIXED ODDS BETTING TIP :
I'll back Chelsea -1.75 Asian Handicap @ 1.90
