Chelsea faces a winless Leicester team at Stamford Bridge in a bid to bounce back from a crushing defeat at the hands of Leeds in the last Premier League game.
The Blues went 3-0 down in their trip to the Elland Road with their next opponents Leicester City also suffered the same faith against Southampton even after taking the lead in the second half.
CHE vs LEI Match Details
Date: Saturday 27 August 2022
Time: 15:00 (BST) / 19:30 (IST)
Venue: Stamford Bridge, London
CHE vs LEI Match Preview
It was a frustrating afternoon for the fans to see Chelsea showing a completely different character on the pitch just a weekend after a dramatic derby compelling them to a 3-0 loss against Jesse Marsch’s Leeds United. The Blues capitulated in the pressing from the home side causing a howler from Edouard Mendy to concede the first goal and then quickly went behind by two after Rodrigo rose high to score from a free-kick that was cheaply given by Raheem Sterling close to the box under the same intense pressure. The visitors never had the hunger to get something out of the match as Jack Harrison hit the last nail on the coffin by claiming a third for Leeds and piling more misery on the opposition. Chelsea were toothless in attack, disfigured in midfield and lost discipline in defense with Kalidou Koulibaly receiving his second booking having struggled with goal-scorer Brandon Aaronson and later Joe Gelhardt’s pace. Manager Thomas Tuchel said his team gifted presents to the opposition as individual mistakes became a factor again for the defeat crumbling under pressure. The defeat also pinched the eye of the requirements the club desperately needed in a season that will demand more than ever. Chelsea are keeping tabs on Leicester’s Wesley Fofana incidentally for a fine defensive acquisition even having three high offers rejected by their opposition in the weekend which is a major plot point of this clash. Fofana has since been banished from first team squad having asked the club for a move to Stamford Bridge. While Koulibaly’s addition has been great, the team is still lacking the capability Antonio Rudiger, now at Real Madrid, used to possess which a talented signing like Fofana can guarantee in near future. Aside from that, the attack is crying out for a finisher which Chelsea believes Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could provide as talks are at a decisive stage with Barcelona. In the meantime, Tuchel can only wish for the home atmosphere to aid them in gaining full points against an opposition fighting issues both on and off the pitch.
The Fofana situation is turning out to be a real headache for Leicester as they are not in agreement to let him go for anything less than his price tag of $99m. Understandably so as the defender penned a five-year contract at the club only in March in a reflection that he is committed to the excellent project the club is undertaking. Now, he is distracted by the interest from the Blues and has been forced to train with the juniors to avoid any disharmony in the dressing room. Youri Tielemans is another player who is drawing attention from Chelsea’s London rivals Arsenal for quite some time as he too didn’t feature last weekend against Southampton although his situation is not dramatic as Fofana’s and he played the fixture in the league cup on Tuesday. Leicester will be the biggest loser in the whole situation if they let their star players leave with only a week to go before the transfer window closes. Considering the Foxes haven’t spent a single penny in this market, any departure at this moment will prompt a massive scramble to find the right replacement in a short period of time which is a difficult job. The club is also not getting results on the pitch as they have yet to register a win in the Premier League after three games and have lost the last two in disappointing fashion. Having led at home again, Leicester surrendered the lead to two Che Adams goals later in the second half to give a winless Southampton prior to the clash all three points. Brendan Rodgers is now under extreme pressure to turn things around or lose his job sooner than later if all these factors are not sorted out which to be fair will be a harsh one for the former Liverpool manager. Chelsea still possesses a big threat even not at their best and a leaky defense that has conceded eight goals so far will offer a pathway for goals even for an attack which is lacking clinical edge. Foxes fear the same as they hope to gain a positive result in their trip to Stamford Bridge to uplift their spirit amid the chaos. That being said, Leicester have won only one battle in the last 10 away clashes with Chelsea and just two of their last 15 games on the road in the Premier League keeping only one clean sheet.
Recent Form (league)
CHE: LDW
LEI: LLD
CHE vs LEI Team News
Thomas Tuchel says N’Golo Kante’s hamstring injury will keep him out for four weeks at the minimum but Mateo Kovacic is back with the group and ready to play some 20 minutes which comes as a big boost for the side lacking experience and quality in midfield. The German will be forced to make some changes at the back with Kalidou Koulibaly receiving a second yellow in the last game. Club captain Cesar Azpilicueta is expected to slot in back three to give Reece James the license to play in the wing-back role as fans wanted to see while Marc Cucurella also shifting to a left center back role will allow Ben Chilwell to get his second start of the season. The rest of the team remains unchanged which means lack-in-form Kai Havertz begins at the forward line as Hakim Ziyech works out a move back to Ajax. Armando Broja is carrying a knock while Marcos Alonso’s possible transfer to Barcelona is still pending.
For Leicester, Brendan Rodgers has marked playmaker James Maddison a major doubt for the game due to a muscle injury he suffered in the training. The 25-year-old needs a late assessment of his condition before being deemed fit for the clash. Chelsea’s long-term target in this summer window, Wesley Fofana has been training with the u23s away from the senior team and didn’t feature in the squad for the last league game against Southampton or the league cup clash with Stockport County after according to the manager his head is turned by the interest from the Blues and three bids for him getting rejected by Leicester. He won’t be available to face the same opponents this weekend. Ryan Bertrand and Ricardo Pereira are the other absentees for the game.
CHE vs LEI Predicted Lineups
CHE: Edouard Mendy; Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Marc Cucurella; Reece James, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Jorginho, Ben Chilwell; Mason Mount, Kai Havertz; Raheem Sterling
LEI: Danny Ward; Daniel Amartey, Johnny Evans, James Justin; Timothy Castagne, Wilfred Ndidi, Dewsbury-Hall, Luke Thomas; James Maddison, Harvey Barnes; Jamie Vardy
CHE vs LEI Dream11 Team Prediction
GK: E Mendy
DEF: James, Evans, Silva, Cucurella
MID: Mount, Jorginho, Ndidi, Maddison
FW: Sterling, Vardy
Captain: Raheem Sterling
Vice-captain: Reece James
