Preview: A frustrated Mourinho would not accept dropping more points
Making a return to Chelsea was never going to be easy for Jose Mourinho, especially after the success he had in his first stint with the club. Claiming titles always raises expectations for the future, and having returned to Stamford Bridge, the Special One's start to the season has not gone all that well.
Chelsea is currently fifth in the Premier League with 11 points, which is four less than league leading Arsenal. Now while it is still very early in the season, dropping seven points in the first six matches could be fatal later in the season.
The Blues have yet to win a match away from home in the current domestic campaign. They drew to a scoreless draw at Old Trafford, and followed that up with a 1-0 defeat at Goodison Park against Everton. If that was not bad enough, a header from John Terry canceled out Tottenham's goal, earning the Blues one point in North London.
Now they will travel to Carrow Road to take on a Norwich side that has not defeated them since December of 1994.
From the last three fixtures between these two clubs at Carrow Road, Chelsea has won two and drew one. The hosts have only managed one goal from the three matches, while they've conceded four. One player they will not have to worry about scoring will be Fernando Torres, who is out for a few weeks due to a knee injury.
Adding insult to injury, from Chelsea's last 26 league goals, only one of those was scored by a striker - Fernando Torres. With him out of the squad, Mourinho will likely turn to Eto'o to man the front line, but the Blues could seek some assistance from players like Juan Mata and even Oscar, who is the club's leading scorer in the league with two goals.
One other injury concern for Mourinho will be Eden Hazard, who is suffering from an ankle injury, and he could face a late fitness test.
For Norwich, Sebastien Bassong will also be facing a late fitness test. A hamstring injury has kept him out of the team, but Chris Hughton is hopeful the Cameroon international will be fit for the match.
Nathan Redmond (ankle), Javier Garrido (thigh) and Ricky van Wolfswinkel (toe) were also injury plagued, but they should all be available for Sunday's match.
Norwich is looking to claim their second consecutive league victory, after they defeated Stoke City at the Britannia with a goal from Jonathan Howson. A victory would not only end a long losing streak against the Blues, but it could also move the Canaries into the top half of the league table, dependent on all the other results.
Dropping points in this match would really cause problems for Mourinho. Chelsea's current record is identical to the record that saw Mourinho depart from Stamford Bridge during the 2007-08 campaign. If the Special One was to not come away from Carrow Road with the full three points, could his managerial position be in jeopardy?
Where to watch the match - live stream, start time, TV channels, live score
Watch Norwich City vs Chelsea live on Sunday, October 6, 2013:
In Canada at 8:30 ET on: TSN, TalkSport Radio
In the UK at 13:30 BST on: Sky Sports 1 Ireland, Sky Sports 1/HD, Sky Go
In the USA at 8:30 ET on: TalkSport Radio, SiriusXM FC, NBC Sports Network, NBC Sports Live Extra
If you are in Africa, you can follow this English Premier League match on SuperSport 3 Africa. For anyone outside of the above mentioned countries, be sure to visit the Norwich City vs Chelsea match page for full TV listings.
