Antonio Conte won’t be relishing the fixture pile up at the start of 2018 but having only managed a 0-0 draw against Championship side Norwich City on January 6th, he will be fully aware of the task at hand in the replay. Norwich have struggled for consistency in the Championship but have a strong, physical side that more than matched Chelsea in the first meeting between the sides.
English FA Cup – Chelsea v Norwich City – Stamford Bridge – Wednesday 17th January 2018 – 19:45 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 5 at Skybet |
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Chelsea
Norwich CityChelsea
Chelsea have are in the midst of a remarkable 7 game unbeaten run in all competitions but still find themselves 16 points behind Manchester City in the Premier League following a pain-staking 2-2 draw with Arsenal last time out. The Blues are currently still featuring in all competitions and with a Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Arsenal and a Champions League tie with Barcelona on the horizon, the Blues have a busy schedule. Alvaro Morata has struggled in recent weeks and remains on 12 goals in all competitions this season for the Blues.
Norwich City
Daniel Farke still looks to be acclimatising to life in English football and he has guided the Canaries to 13th place in the Championship. The prospect of a FA Cup run is sure to enthuse the Carrow Road faithful with promotion looking a bridge too far for Norwich this season. Josh Murphy has notched 8 goals this season for Norwich and how he would love to add to that total at Stamford Bridge.
Head to Head
Chelsea edge the head to head between the two sides with 21 wins to Norwich’s 14 with another 18 games between the teams ending in draws. Norwich haven’t beaten Chelsea in any competition since March 1994.
Chelsea v Norwich City – Betting Odds and Predictions
If the first game is anything to go by, this could well be a cagey affair.
Under 2.5 goals in the game looks excellent value at 8/15 with PaddyPower.
Pedro has been a bit-part player for Chelsea this season and will want to make use of his minutes on the pitch.
Pedro to score anytime looks good value at 5/2 with Unibet.
Norwich are only averaging one goal per game in the Championship and look to be lacking in forward areas.
Both teams to score – NO – is a logical punt at 3/4 with Coral.
Norwich will feel they can hold Chelsea out for a long time and frustrate them and their restless fans.
The match to be a draw at half time and Chelsea to be winning at full time looks an excellent bet at 7/2 with BetVictor.
Score Prediction
Chelsea 2 – 0 Norwich City – 5/1 with William Hill.
Top Betting Tip Chelsea v Norwich City
Norwich will look to make this tough for Chelsea but Antonio Conte’s men should have too much quality. Chelsea to win the match to nil is a strong bet at 4/5 with Ladbrokes.