Norwich v Chelsea Premier League betting odds

Who would have thought Norwich would be sitting in ninth at this stage of the season? Very few probably.

After two successive promotions, many thought they would have struggled to cope in the Premier League, but instead they have been one of the star teams so far.

But when they host Chelsea on Saturday, they certainly will have their work cut out. Andre Villas-Boas’ men have not had the best of seasons by their standard, but still possess a huge amount of quality in their squad and know that qualifying for the Champions’ League is essential.

It is the second meeting between the two this season, and the Canaries will be looking to avenge their 3-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge. They put in a strong performance that day, but in the end it was not quite enough. They will now hope they can use their extra half a season of Premier League experience to improve on that.

In 42 meetings between the sides over the years, there has been a fairly even share of the results. Norwich have won 14, Chelsea 16 and there have been 12 draws.

However, you have to go back to December 1994 to find the last time Norwich beat Chelsea – a 3-0 win at Carrow Road. Since then, Chelsea have won five out of six games between the sides, with one draw.

Match Odds

It is little surprise that Chelsea head into this game as the odds on favourites. Bet365 have them available at 1.57 (4/7) to pick up the three points.

Norwich’s home form, however, could be what defines the second half of their season and cannot be ruled out in this one. SkyBet have them at 5.00 (4/1), while many bookmakers have priced the draw at 4.00 (3/1).

First goal scorer

Fernando Torres will be desperate to get on the score sheet in this one, having struggled with form an goals this season.

However, the noises coming out of the Chelsea camp this week suggest the Spaniard is back in form after his performance against Sunderland. He is 5.00 (4/1) to score first with Bet365.

Frank Lampard has been in the goals himself of late, though, and scored the only goal against the Black Cats. He is 6.50 (11/2) to open the scoring, while his England international team mate, Daniel Sturridge is 5.50 (9/2).

Norwich’s Grant Holt and Steve Morison are both priced at 8.50 (15/2) to net the first goal, with Simeon Jackson available at 10.00 (9/1).

Recommended bets

Norwich are a tough opponent for anyone in this division. There is every chance that they could open the scoring, only to find Chelsea go up a gear to win the game.

For Norwich to be winning at half time, only for the Blues to have salvaged a draw by the end, you can get a tempting 17.00 (16/1) with BoyleSports.

Often these two sides have been involved in high scoring games this season, so the odds of there being over 5.5 goals in this one might be worth a bet. The chances of that happening are 9.00 (8/1) with William Hill.