Chelsea will try to maintain its position at the top of the EPL table despite significant short-term injuries when it hosts Norwich City on Saturday in an English Premier League match at Stamford Bridge. The Blues (6-1-1) will be without top strikers Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner, who both suffered minor injuries in Wednesday's 4-0 win against Malmo in the Champions League. Chelsea's only league blemishes this season are a 1-1 draw with Liverpool and a 1-0 loss to league champion Manchester City. Chelsea is 13-4-0 in its last 17 matches with Norwich in all competitions, and the Canaries (0-2-6) are dead last in the Premier League standings.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 a.m. ET. Caesars Sportsbook lists Chelsea as the -530 favorite (risk $530 to win $100) in its latest Chelsea vs. Norwich odds, with Norwich City the +1700 underdog. A draw is priced at +550 and the over-under for total goals scored is set at 2.5. Before you make any Chelsea vs. Norwich City picks or English Premier League predictions, you need to see what European soccer insider Martin Green has to say.
After working in the sports betting industry for several years, Green became a professional sports writer and handicapper. Since then, his European soccer picks have hauled in stunning profits. Green has generated well over $36,000 for $100 bettors since the 2017-18 season.
Now, Green has taken a close look at Norwich City vs. Chelsea from every possible angle and just revealed his coveted Premier League picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see all of Green's EPL picks. Here are several Premier League odds and betting lines for Chelsea vs. Norwich City:
- Chelsea vs. Norwich spread: Chelsea -1.5 (-160)
- Chelsea vs. Norwich over-under: 2.5 goals
- Chelsea vs. Norwich money line: Chelsea -530, Norwich +1700, Draw +550
- CHL: Jorginho has 19 goals in four seasons, 17 from the penalty spot
- NOR: Teemu Pukki has 28 goals in 128 matches in four seasons
Why you should back Chelsea
The Blues will miss their strikers, but Kai Havertz should step up, and the speedy German can cause problems for defenses. Neither striker scored in the 4-0 win on Wednesday, but Havertz did, and he is one of 12 Chelsea players with a goal. Jorginho scored twice from the penalty spot, and the UEFA Men's Player of the Year is part of a creative midfield that also includes Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic. N'Golo Kante is a defensive force and protects a Chelsea back line that should have little trouble thwarting a Norwich attack that has just two goals in league play.
The Chelsea defense might be the best in the world, with Thiago Silva, Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger doing the dirty work and Cesar Azpilicueta and Ben Chilwell supporting the attack. The Blues also have an elite goalkeeper in Edouard Mendy, who has saved 96 percent of the shots he has faced and turned away several dangerous chances in the 1-0 win against Brentford last weekend.
Why you should back Norwich City
The Canaries can only hope that Chelsea's attack sputters in the absence of its star strikers. Lukaku and Werner have accounted for a quarter of the Blues' goals. The Canaries have played to consecutive scoreless draws, against Brighton and Burnley, and are likely to sit back and fend off the Blues. Chelsea doesn't take a ton of shots, ranking eighth in the EPL with 102, and Norwich has veteran Dutch goalkeeper Tim Krul in net. Captain Grant Hanley anchors the back line alongside promising Turkish national team defender Ozan Kobak, on loan from Schalke.
In the last meeting at Stamford Bridge, the Canaries conceded only an Olivier Giroud goal in first-half stoppage time in a 1-0 loss. The Norwich attack relies on Teemu Pukki (two goals) and American Josh Sargent, who will be eager to find the net for the first time. Pukki had 26 goals last season in the Championship with Norwich, while the 21-year-old Sargent had 13 in four seasons with Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga.
How to make EPL picks for Chelsea vs. Norwich City
Green has taken a hard look at Saturday's Chelsea vs. Norwich City match from all sides, and he is leaning under on the goal total. He also has revealed three confident best bets, including a strong pick on one side, and has a complete analysis of this English Premier League match. He's only sharing those his EPL picks at SportsLine.
Who wins Norwich City vs. Chelsea? And where does all the betting value lie? Visit SportsLine now to see the best bets for Chelsea vs. Norwich City, all from the European soccer expert who has generated more than $36,000 for $100 bettors over the past four seasons, and find out.