Chelsea head to Carrow Road on Thursday evening looking to replicate the form they showed in the reverse fixture against Norwich City at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues came away 7-0 victors against the Canaries back in October and Thomas Tuchel will be hoping Chelsea can show their authority once again to extend their Premier League winning run.
The west London side have overcome Burnley, Crystal Palace and Tottenham in their recent league fixtures as they look to confirm their place in the top four and to put any pressure they can on Manchester City and Liverpool.
Tuchel however, has already been dealt a blow in that ploy with Reece James missing training in the build up to the trip after suffering from a muscular issue after his return from a hamstring injury, albeit not in the same leg.
With the Blues once again facing three fixtures in less than a week with Newcastle and Lille following Norwich, rotation may be key. football.london's Chelsea writers name the sides they would pick below:
Adam Newson
Given Chelsea have three games in the space of a week, I’d use the trip to Carrow Road to face bottom-of-the-table Norwich as an opportunity to rest a few key members of the squad.
I’d still start Edouard Mendy in goal but I’d bring Andreas Christensen into the centre of the back three and give Thiago Silva on the night off. Trevoh Chalobah and Antonio Rudiger can line-up either side of the Dane.
With Reece James suffering from a muscular issue, I’d bring Cesar Azpilicueta in at right-back. The Spaniard doesn’t offer the same dynamism as James but that shouldn’t be a huge issue against the Canaries. On the opposite flank, I’d go with Marcos Alonso, who has overcome a bout a Covid.
N’Golo Kante, barring his display against Lille, hasn’t been in spectacular form since the turn of the year but I’d go with the Frenchman alongside Mateo Kovacic in midfield.
Who lines up in attack is tricky, but I think I’d give Kai Havertz and Mason Mount the game off in order to keep them fresh for Newcastle on Sunday and then Lille.
I’d bring in Romelu Lukaku as the nine and also give Hakim Ziyech, who was in fine form prior to a minor injury, a start on the right of an attacking three. On the left, I’d go with Christian Pulisic and hope he can build on a good performance against Burnley at the weekend.
Adam’s XI: Mendy; Chalobah, Christensen, Rudiger; Azpilicueta, Kante, Kovacic, Alonso; Ziyech, Lukaku, Pulisic.
Scott Trotter
With a number of Chelsea stars back in contention for selection, it was a brutal note to discover Reece James had picked up another issue ahead of Norwich.
That will likely force Thomas Tuchel's hand into starting Cesar Azpilicueta on his return from injury, while Marcos Alonso's early integration back into training following his bout of Covid-19 should mean he can start in a game where he will hope to use his attacking talents.
The backline should see some minor rotation with Thiago Silva given a night off ahead of the next two matches Chelsea face. Andreas Christensen can head into the centre of defence flanked by Trevoh Chalobah and Antonio Rudiger.
In front of them it would be good to see Ruben Loftus-Cheek afforded an opportunity after his man of the match display against Luton Town, and appearance of the bench against Burnley. His introduction could see Mateo Kovacic and N'Golo Kante fully recover before Newcastle and Lille, though the Croatian being on the bench again seems unlikely.
Up front could see the perfect opportunity for Mason Mount to rediscover his goalscoring touch, given his last outing against the Canaries. There is a good argument that Romelu Lukaku should start but with Kai Havertz seeming the preferred option for the moment, seeing him get more repetitions leading the line should be the priority.
Scott's XI: Mendy; Chalobah, Christensen, Rudiger; Azpilicueta, Loftus-Cheek, Jorginho, Alonso; Ziyech, Havertz, Mount.
Jake Stokes
It would be great to see Tuchel find the fine line between keeping his squad fresh while also throwing the kitchen sink at Dean Smith's side, in what could be a catalyst for Chelsea in the final months of the season.
The Blues know all too well that Norwich can leak goals and the flood gates could open at Carrow Road, which is exactly why I'd like to see a front-three of Lukaku, Pulisic and Ziyech, with Hudson-Odoi on at left wing-back.
What's promising is that trio is far from Chelsea's most dangerous frontline at the moment, nor is it too outrageous; it could jumpstart Lukaku's season, Ziyech a welcomed return and Pulisic the chance to continue his run of form without injury.
Ideally, I'd like Alonso on the left but a return from Covid could be too soon, physically. Tuchel also appears to be without Reece James therefore a start for Azpilicueta would be sensible. If Alonso is available though, I'd push Hudson-Odoi into the front-three and take Pulisic out of the firing line.
Chelsea's number twenty was good in the return fixture and, while I haven't got him in the front-three, he could still excel at left wing-back if Chelsea begin the tie on the front foot, despite the obvious threat of Max Aarons.
This side could easily revert to a flat back-four if needed which I think is important, especially if Tuchel does look to rotate on Thursday evening - there's no better time to do so.
Jake's XI: Mendy; Chalobah, Christensen, Sarr; Azpilicueta, Kovacic, Loftus-Cheek, Hudson-Odoi; Ziyech , Lukaku, Pulisic.
