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Frank Lampard’s Chelsea will travel to the King Power Stadium to take on Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester City, in an encounter that can have long-term implications on both the team’s hopes of securing Champions League football for next season.
The Blues and the Foxes are placed perilously close in the Premier League at the fourth and the third spot respectively, and 3 points for either side is going to be pivotal for not only their respective seasons but also their confidence and form heading into the business end of the season.
A win for Chelsea would bring them to within five points of Leicester, whilst a win for the latter would take them 11 clear of the Blues and help them consolidate their stranglehold on third place in the Premier League standings.
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Whilst the Stamford Bridge side come into this game on the back of a 2-1 victory away to Hull City in the FA Cup, Rodgers’ side suffered a heartbreaking exit from the Carabao Cup after losing to Aston Villa in the semi-final, courtesy of Trezeguet’s goal in the dying stages of the tie.
However, one massive positive for the Foxes will be the return of their talismanic striker Jamie Vardy, whose glute twinge isn’t as serious as it was thought to be initially. Vardy made an appearance as a second-half substitute against Villa and is expected to start the game at the King Power on Saturday.
Contrastingly enough, Chelsea’s main goalscoring threat this season, Tammy Abraham, is an injury concern for this game, after suffering a knock to the ankle against Arsenal and also missed the Blues’ victory against Hull. As of now, his participation in Saturday’s encounter is uncertain, although Lampard will be hoping that the 22-year-old recovers in time to lead the line against Leicester.
Chelsea’s main issue right through the campaign has been the lack of an alternative in the goal-scoring department, with Abraham shouldering the majority of the responsibility to put the ball into the back of the net.
Their pursuit for a striking option in January hasn’t yielded any positive results, and the Blues continue scrapping around to secure a last-minute acquisition that can breathe some new life into their faltering attack.
Leicester City vs Chelsea Head to Head
Leicester City won: 26
Chelsea won: 56
Matches drawn: 33
Leicester City vs Chelsea Form Guide
Last 5 matches (all competitions)
Leicester City: L-L-W-W-L
Chelsea: W-W-L-D-W
Leicester City vs Chelsea Team News
Leicester City
As mentioned above, the Foxes are set to welcome Jamie Vardy back into the starting lineup after he suffered a glute twinge in the second half of Leicester’s 4-1 victory against West Ham United last week. Vardy’s presence at the front is set to empower the Foxes and we can expect a typically lethal performance from the 33-year-old if he’s presented with an opportunity.
Midfielder Nampalys Mendy is set to miss out due to a knee injury which will keep him out until March, while long-term absentee Daniel Amartey will also not be available for selection.
Chelsea
The most worrisome doubt for Chelsea heading into this encounter is striker Tammy Abraham, who suffered a knock to his ankle against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge and consequently missed out on the Blues’ win against Hull in the FA Cup. Lampard is still unsure about the availability of the 22-year-old, and his potential absence could tilt the scales significantly in Leicester’s favour.
Olivier Giroud missed out on the win against Hull due to a groin issue, whilst Christian Pulisic will also miss out due to a thigh injury. Reece James suffered a slight knock to the back of his knee area against Newcastle United but should be available for the trip to Leicester. Ruben Loftus-Cheek has returned to first-team training but is not match fit.
Leicester City vs Chelsea Predicted XI
Leicester City (4-1-4-1): Kasper Schmeichel; Ricardo Pereira, Jonny Evans, Caglar Soyuncu, Ben Chilwell; Wilfred Ndidi; Ayoze Perez, James Maddison, Youri Tielemans, Ashley Barnes; Jamie Vardy.
Chelsea (4-3-3): Kepa Arrizabalaga; Reece James, Antonio Rudiger, Fikayo Tomori, Cesar Azpilicueta; Jorginho, N'Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic; Callum Hudson-Odoi, Michy Batshuayi, Willian.
Leicester City vs Chelsea Prediction
Although Chelsea have been impressive against the big teams away from home this season, one cannot discount the impact that Tammy Abraham’s potential absence can have on their game-plan. The 22-year-old has been the main source of goals for the Blues and the focal point of their attack, off of which their wingers and attacking midfielders operate.
Michy Batshuayi, who in all likelihood will replace him in the starting eleven, does not provide a similar skill-set. On the other hand, Leicester will be empowered by the return of Jamie Vardy and can play their usual free-flowing attacking brand of football, or even decide to sit back and hit Chelsea on the counter using Vardy’s pace.
This is going to be an extremely close encounter, but if Abraham misses out, Leicester will edge a victory at the King Power.
Final prediction: Leicester City 2-1 Chelsea
