Norwich City travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea this weekend in the Premier League with the latter looking to keep their lead at the top of the table intact.
The two clubs haven't faced each other since July 2020 when the Blues came out 1-0 winners, and in fact the home team this weekend haven't lost to their opponents since December 1994.
At the other end of the league, Norwich are still looking for their first win of this season in the top flight, having only amassed two points in the nine games they've played up to this point.
Daniel Farke's team have struggled to pick up any sort of form, and have been on the end of some thumpings from the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool already.
Things couldn't be more contrasted with Thomas Tuchel's side who are currently in fine form, following an excellent first few games of the campaign, including against some very tough opponents.
They rode their luck at times during their last league game - a 1-0 win against Brentford - but with their superb defensive record, having only conceded three goals thus far, it's not going to be easy at all for the Canaries.
Team News
During his pre-match press conference, Thomas Tuchel told the media: 'No big news for Romelu [Lukaku] and Timo [Werner], I can say they are out for tomorrow and they will be out for the Southampton game and from there we see what's next.'
The loss of Chelsea's only two obvious strikers does pose some problems with regards to team selection, potentially meaning Kai Havertz will get a start - something that has been relatively elusive for him so far this season.
Also absent will be Christian Pulisic due to an injury he picked up on international duty back in September, meaning he hasn't started a game since the opening day of the season.
When Daniel Farke spoke to the press he said: 'Christoph Zimmermann is out and sadly I can confirm that he needs another ankle surgery. Todd [Cantwell] has missed a lot of training sessions so he is not a topic for tomorrow.'
The confirmation of centre back Christoph Zimmermann's ankle injury will be disappointing to hear for Norwich fans who may have hoped he was on the mend.
Todd Cantwell's lack of fitness will also mean he misses out in another blow to Farke's team selection, though an otherwise clean bill of health does leave him with plenty of other options.
Predicted Lineups
Chelsea (3-4-3):
Mendy; Azpilicueta, Silva, Rudiger; James, Kante, Jorginho, Chilwell; Loftus-Cheek, Havertz, Mount
Norwich (5-3-2):
Krul; Aarons, Kabak, Hanley, Gibson, Giannoulis; Lees-Melou, Normann, McLean; Sargent, Pukki
Form Guide
There couldn't really have been a better start so far for Tuchel's team as they sit atop the Premier League, despite the tough run of fixtures they began the season with.
Some @premierleague debut last weekend. 👏
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 22, 2021
𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵: 𝗠𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗮𝗿𝗿.
𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱 (𝗔). ⤵️
They've already picked up wins against Arsenal, Tottenham and Aston Villa, and won a trophy before the league campaign even got going in the form of the Super Cup, so are in fine form.
In pretty much the polar opposite form going into this lunchtime game, Norwich's best two results have come in the form of two 0-0 draws against Brighton and Burnley respectively.
Tipped onto the bar at full reach from @TimKrul! 👏#NCFC | #NORBHA pic.twitter.com/RtYxzTtrS9
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) October 17, 2021
In fairness, these have come in their last two games, so perhaps they are turning a corner going into this tenth game of the season, but given their torrid time so far, it appears unlikely that will happen against the current European champions.
Ones To Watch
Of all the players in a potentially, and most likely, star-studded filled starting eleven, it may appear strange to pick out a player who hasn't had much of a look in at Chelsea over the past year or so.
However, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek seemingly gaining the favour of Tuchel in recent weeks, he is now a prime candidate for a player to look out for during the game.
He has appeared comfortable when given chances to play, seemingly unfazed by any opponent, as shown by the fact he was one of the few positives when he came on against Man City a few games ago.
It may also seem strange, like the Chelsea ones to watch pick, to choose a striker in a team that has only scored two goals in all their games so far this season.
However, when both of said goals have come from only one player, there is really only one candidate, especially when looking further up the pitch.
The Finn has become something of a cult hero in English football, most significantly after the start he had to the 2019/20 season, but it remains to be seen whether he can recover the sort of form he had then, which his club so desperately need right now.
Previous Five Meetings
Looking back at the past five times these clubs have gone up against each other, it doesn't make for particularly pretty reading for Norwich fans whatsoever.
Back in March 2016, the two faced off at Carrow Road, during which Kenedy opened the scoring in the first minute for the away side, before Diego Costa added to the lead in the final minute of the first half.
Nathan Redmond did pull one back for the hosts, but it wasn't enough to save them, and Norwich ended up being relegated by the end of the season.
The following meeting wasn't until almost two years later, when the sides were drawn against one another in the FA Cup third round, again at Norwich's own ground.
It wasn't one to remember however, as the game ended in a drab 0-0 draw, which meant that a replay was in order to decide the result less than two weeks later.
It was again a close-run affair at Stamford Bridge, with a Michy Batshuayi goal being cancelled out very late on by Jamal Lewis, sending the game to extra time.
The additional 30 minutes still weren't enough to separate them, but after a penalty shootout, the Blues triumphed and made their way to the fourth round, going on to lift the trophy a few months later.
It was again a relatively long gap until the next game, which came near the start of the 2019/20 season, one of Frank Lampard's first games in charge as Blues' boss.
His side made hard work of it on a sunny Saturday afternoon, twice being pegged back, before Tammy Abraham scored the winner in one of the first examples of the youth flourishing in a new-look Chelsea side.
Finally, the most recent time these two clubs have met was in July 2020, during the strange post-lockdown period of football with strict Covid protocols in place throughout.
On their way to securing a top four finish, Olivier Giroud scored the only goal of the game in a tight contest which simultaneously inflicted Norwich's eighth league defeat in a row - the first time that had happened in their history.
How To Watch
This early kick off in the Premier League on Saturday will be broadcast to viewers on BT Sport for those who are in the UK, as well as on talkSport for those listening on the radio.
As for those around the world, the game is set to be shown on most sports-dedicated TV channels, but if not you can always follow it right here on VAVEL's live blog.