Coming on the back of a healthy 3-1 win over Newcastle United, Norwich City face a stern test ahead as they host Chelsea at Carrow Road tomorrow afternoon. The Canaries will be looking to make full use of the Blues’ poor form, having failed to win both of their Premier League matches under Frank Lampard this season.
We take a look at how Daniel Farke’s men may line-up ahead of this fascinating encounter on Sunday as two relatively inexperienced coaches go head to head.
Formation: Farke is likely to stick to a 4-2-3-1 formation that was so successful in the win over Newcastle United last weekend.
Defence
Tim Krul is expected to retain his place in between the sticks, although new signing Ralf Fahrmann also makes a strong case to make his Premier League debut.
Max Aarons, meanwhile, is a guaranteed starter at right-back. The youngster’s performance will be crucial, especially when dealing with Chelsea’s star man Christian Pulisic. Manager Farke confirmed that this game could come a little too soon for Timm Klose, meaning Grant Hanley is likely to continue his central defensive partnership alongside Ben Godfrey.
Both the defenders will be expecting a busy afternoon against the likes of Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Christian Pulisic. And finally, it is Jamal Lewis, who will be deployed as the left-back.
Midfield
Not many changes are expected in midfield, with Moritz Leitner starting over Mario Vrancic and Kenny McLean in the number eight role. Tom Trybull will accompany the ex-Borussia Dortmund midfielder at the heart of Norwich City’s 4-2-3-1 setup.
Trybull did start against Newcastle United last time out, and it will be interesting to see how he copes with N’Golo Kante tomorrow. As for Marco Stiepermann, he will operate as the lone attacking midfielder. The 28-year-old will be tasked with the responsibility of providing the creative essence in the final third.
Attack
Teemu Pukki will spearhead the Norwich City attack as usual. The Finnish international has scored all four of the club’s goals this season and is coming on the back of a hat-trick against Newcastle in the last game.
While Pukki continues his scoring run, the onus will be on the wide-attacking duo of Todd Cantwell and Emiliano Buendia to provide additional support in terms of productivity. The absence of Josip Drmic and Onel Hernandez will be a massive blow for the Canaries, however.
