Norwich vs Chelsea Preview: Lampard still searching for first victory

Saturday's Premier League action kicks off with Chelsea's visit to Carrow Road to take on Norwich.

The hosts have probably been one of the more impressive sides in the top flight so far this season, holding their own against Liverpool despite losing 4-1 at Anfield and beating Newcastle.

Teemu Pukki is joint top scorer, with four in his first two games, and will be crucial to the Canaries' hopes of staying in the top flight.

It has not been a good start for Frank Lampard at Chelsea. They were thrashed 4-0 at Old Trafford and were lucky to earn a draw against Leicester last weekend.

Anything but a win at Norwich would represent an exceptionally difficult start to life in the Blues dugout for icon Lampard.

NORWICH: Courage, countering and keeping the faith will be king

The name Chelsea should strike fear into the hearts of any newly promoted side, but Norwich might relish the visit of Lampard and his team.

Norwich are devastating on the counter-attack, with Farke favouring the breakneck style that German football has become famous for over the last decade.

That much was clear at Liverpool, where their swift moves up the field meant they had 12 shots at goal, more than any team managed at Anfield for the entirety of last season.

They then cut through Newcastle, going three ahead and only conceding when the game was completely done and dusted.

The truth is that Chelsea, a side who have had the same end-to-end style as a basketball team over the first two games, will need to shut up shop to stop the Canaries.

Pukki scored a hat-trick against Newcastle and is a great finisher. If Norwich's moves reach the striker, Chelsea could easily concede a handful.

He also presses brilliantly and can force turnarounds, which is what Chelsea have struggled so much with over their opening games. Moritz Leitner said after the Newcastle win: 'He worked so hard. He's our first defender.'

It's not just about counter-attacking, though. Norwich pull together brilliant moves when they have the ball too. They're just a force going forward.

The real test is whether Farke is willing to continue with his usual attacking style. Part of Leicester's problem last week was they took the first-half to get going. Only the final whistle stopped them getting a win.

Norwich and Farke have to adopt the same outlook. There's no reason to think he won't. Before the Liverpool game, he called on his team to be brave. Against Chelsea, courage will be king.

CHELSEA: Lampard needs a result and a performance after tough homecoming

It has not been the homecoming that Frank Lampard will have hoped for at Chelsea so far.

The United defeat was a rude awakening, while most will have come away from Stamford Bridge on Sunday disappointed with how their side performed in the second half.

There are serious problems for Lampard to fix, not least the way his defence has been broken against in both of their league games so far.

The real concern is just how easy it has been for teams to work their way past his midfield. There tends to be a gaping expanse of space whenever Chelsea lose the ball.

Jorginho was not at his best in the base of Lampard's midfield against Leicester, while there is a limit on what N'Golo Kante can do by himself.

Mason Mount, going forward, has been effective but there has been a genuine lack of defensive discipline across the board from the midfield.

Norwich are a team that likes to play between the lines, so they might just enjoy coming up against a side with structural issues like Chelsea.

Meanwhile, they will want their forwards to start firing. Lampard has rotated between Olivier Giroud and Tammy Abraham for starts across their three games so far, with Giroud the only striker to have bagged.

Lampard will have a lot of credit at Chelsea given his legend status and the fact that they are in a difficult position because of their transfer ban.

But performances need to step up, as do results, and a meeting with a newly-promoted side like Norwich is the ideal opportunity.

Predicted line-ups

Norwich City's Predicted Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Krul, Aarons, Hanley, Godfrey, Lewis; Trybull, Leitner; Cantwell, Stiepermann, Buendia; Pukki

Chelsea's Predicted Starting XI (4-3-3): Kepa, Azpilicueta, Christensen, Zouma, Emerson; Kante, Jorginho, Mount; Pedro, Giroud, Pulisic

What do the bookies say?

Chelsea are odds-on to win this one, which means it might not be a bad idea to bet against them. A draw is 3/1 with most bookies, while a victory for Norwich is about the same price.

Teemu Pukki has unsurprisingly got short odds to score anytime, at just 6/5. If you want to take a punt, Emiliano Buendia was dangerous from free-kicks last season and is priced up at 10/3 to score anytime.

Who's saying what?

Norwich City's Jamal Lewis reflecting on the Newcastle performance: 'It felt comfortable, much more comfortable than some performances last year in the Championship. So yeah, I think that's our bar and I think we can even push past that.

Chelsea's Frank Lampard: 'The first two games in terms of performance I can't complain too much. There's the quality of our play, and we have that, and the work rate, and the lads have that. There's also game management, moments where we also maybe need to be a bit tougher, resilient. Because those are the sort of attributes that get you wins.'