Norwich were unlucky to lose 3-1 when these sides met at Stamford Bridge in August, as they gave Chelsea a jarring test. Paul Lambert opted to play with a lone striker that day and Grant Holt gave John Terry such a mauling that it will be intriguing to see what happens if the Norwich manager decides to unleash both Holt and Steve Morrison on the still-brittle Chelsea defence at the same time. That would be quite a challenge for Gary Cahill, if André Villas-Boas decides to give his £7m new signing from Bolton a debut here. Chelsea, of course, will hope to keep play heading towards the other end and should have enough to prevail in a game that promises goals. Paul Doyle

Venue Carrow Road, Saturday 12.45pm

Tickets Sold out

Last season n/a

Referee Mark Clattenburg

This season’s matches 14 Y43, R4, 3.36 cards per game

Odds Norwich 5-1 Chelsea 8-13 Draw 3-1

Norwich

Subs from Steer, Drury, Barnett, Holt, Hoolahan, Crofts, Smith, Bennett, Smith, Lappin, Wilbrahim, Ball

Doubtful None

Injured Tierney (groin, 1 Feb), Vaughan (knee, 1 Feb), Rudd (ankle, Mar), Ward (knee, unknown)

Suspended None

Form guide WWDLDD

Disciplinary record Y30 R2

Leading scorer Morison 8

Chelsea

Subs from Hilário, Turnbull, Ivanovic, Ferreria, Malouda, Essien, Sturrdige, Cahill, Bertrand, Hutchinson, Lukaku

Doubtful Ivanovic (hamstring)

Injured Mikel (hamstring, 28 Jan)

Suspended None

Unavailable Drogba, Kalou

Form guide WWLDDD

Disciplinary record Y48 R3

Leading scorers Lampard, Sturridge 9

Match pointers

• Chelsea have won their last five meetings with Norwich in all competitions, scoring at least three goals in each game

• Bradley Johnson has committed more fouls without being booked (25) than any other player in the top flight

• Frank Lampard’s last four league goals have all turned a potential draw in to a win

• Norwich have scored the highest proportion of goals from headers (41%) and let in the lowest share of goals by the same method (11%)

• Chelsea have drawn a total of 99 games away from home in the Premier League era

Norwich CityChelseaPremier League 2011-12Premier League
guardian.co.uk

Chelsea keep their first clean sheet in the league at home this season but Wolves did not provide much opposition

The post-match party line was insistent there was no reason to revel in any sense of relief. André Villas‑Boas and his team had taken a first small step en route to recovery after a dismal sequence but, according to the manager, the pressure has not been eased and a dismissal of Wolves did not necessarily jolt the sat-nav back on course. “Wait and see” was the mantra trotted out, the caution cracking only once as he lingered momentarily over the word “finally” in welcoming this victory.

Chelsea have far sterner tests than this to come over the next six weeks, but they can approach the contests ahead reassured. After the comical home defeats to Arsenal and Liverpool, and the desperate late surrender in Leverkusen, this was a stroll. Back when Luiz Felipe Scolari’s tenure appeared to be unravelling in early 2009, the Brazilian had erupted on the touchline in celebration as goals from Juliano Belletti and Frank Lampard in the last two minutes overhauled Stoke. That frenzied finale was supposed to breathe life into his reign, though he ended up being sacked within a month. Villas-Boas will hope a calmer, more measured return to the comfortable wins of his brief tenure’s early days bodes better.

The manager was right to put this result into proper context. Wolves had arrived here depleted and with only one win in 10 leagues, and quickly felt like ideal opponents for a team whose confidence was brittle. The visitors’ own initial slackness invited a thrashing. Mick McCarthy had not set his side up particularly defensively, but his gameplan did not take into account Nenad Milijas dawdling in possession seven minutes in. Ramires robbed the Serb and, although Wayne Hennessey did well to turn away his shot, Wolves were still panicked at the resultant corner as John Terry guided in the opener. They had become obliging opponents far too readily.

That trend was reflected in their profligacy, too, with the home side’s jittery rearguard going unpunished for the first time in the league at Stamford Bridge this term. Better opponents would have plundered where Rob Edwards and Stephen Ward passed up. Even so, there was still reason for Chelsea to savour the saunter. Villas-Boas had been recruited to oversee a regeneration, and here was evidence of progress, his selection reflecting a team under development. Of the six players making up midfield and attack, only Didier Drogba could be deemed representative of the “old Chelsea”, a lone survivor outside defence from the José Mourinho era.

The key omission was Frank Lampard, the campaign’s leading scorer even if his four previous bookings were a plausible excuse for non-inclusion. Yet, if the omission hinted at risk, fears were allayed by the sprightliness of those picked. The local clamour for Josh McEachran to gain time in the first-team will be prolonged until Tuesday’s Carling Cup tie against Liverpool, but there was a first Premier League start for Oriol Romeu, and the sense renewed that Daniel Sturridge is now integral.

The Spaniard was tidy and efficient and, while he is no feverish tackler, he felt secure with his positioning canny. “He is not a player we have to teach how to behave in that position,” said Villas-Boas. “He always chooses the right option.”

The manager himself had that Midas touch before he arrived in south-west London, but his purchase of Romeu already feels shrewd.

Sturridge merely maintained encouraging form. If Chelsea’s campaign were to be curtailed now, he would be considered their stand-out performer, with the slippery Juan Mata at his shoulder. That pair cut swathes through the visitors and had the home support, so anxious prior to kick-off, distracted from Fernando Torres’s absence until after the hour-mark. The Spaniard remains the great quandary Villa-Boas seems no closer to solving, though he can seek to address the mystery of the £50m man’s form in the weeks ahead. This regime always required time to bed in. Villas-Boas has bought himself some more.

ChelseaDominic Fifieldguardian.co.uk