Chelsea vs Leicester City: Preview and Prediction

Chelsea and Leicester City will lock horns on Matchday 4 of the 2022-23 Premier League season at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Both teams have had a rocky start to the current season. However, Leicester is in far worse condition than Chelsea and is looking for their first win of the season. The former European champions, too, have seen better days and stand on shaky ground after a harrowing 3-0 defeat at the hands of Leeds United.

For the first time since September 2020, Chelsea will enter a Premier League match in the bottom half of the standings.

Current Form 

The Blues have had a rollercoaster start to the current season. Their transfer targets, including Raphinha and Jules Kounde were sniped by Barcelona, a team despite being in murky waters financially, looks extremely neat on the field.

However, Chelsea signed Kalidou Koulibaly, who has had a tremendous impact on the roster. Sadly, the Senegalese defender was sent off in the dying embers of Leeds’ 3-0 mauling of Tuchel’s men at Elland Road on Sunday.

Chelsea has only managed four points in their last three league games and currently sits in the 12th spot. Tuchel’s side managed a slender win against Everton in their opening game.

The Blues dropped points against Spurs in what served as a match authors pen novels about, with both Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte taking jibes at each other. Having already lost Koulibaly, owing to his antics against Leeds, overcoming the Foxes will serve as an uphill task for Tuchel’s men. 

The Foxes have had an abysmal start to the current season. They’ve lost two of their last three league games and currently sit in the relegation spot, alongside the Hammers and Wolves.

Rodgers’ side has already lost two games on the trot, after having lost 4-2 against a resurgent Arsenal side and a rather harrowing defeat at the hands of Southampton. 

While both teams will be hoping to return to winning ways, a win against the former European Champions will give Leicester the boost they need to power through the upcoming matches.

Head-to-Head record

Chelsea and Leicester have locked horns 122 times, of which Chelsea has emerged victorious a whopping 59 times. Leicester has 28 wins against the Blues, while 35 games have been drawn.

Following a six-game losing streak against the Foxes in the Premier League, Chelsea has defeated Leicester twice in their last three matches.

In their last 10 league games at Stamford Bridge, Leicester has only managed one victory and hasn’t scored more than once in any of them.

The Blues have been Brendan Rodgers’ most frequent opponent (20 times), despite the fact that he has only triumphed in two of those contests.

Team News

The Blues looked devoid of any creativity in their clash against Leeds, with both N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic sidelined for the foreseeable future. Interestingly, the Blues have been linked with Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for a while now, but a move for the players is yet to materialize.

Chelsea, on the flip side, has been without a poacher after losing Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner. The Blues have also looked disoriented in the final third of the pitch and have relied on their defenders and fullbacks to provide finishing touches.

Interestingly, Chelsea has been eyeing Leicesters’ Wesley Fofana after losing Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger to Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively. According to recent reports, Chelsea has also shown interest in bringing back Alvaro Morata to Stamford Bridge. 

The Spaniard had a tumultuous time with the Blues last time around, however, with Chelsea eager to sign a new striker and with Aubameyang’s signing still shrouded in mystery, Morata might make a return to west London.

The transfer window for the Foxes was also pretty lacklustre. However, the fans rejoiced as Jamie Vardy signed a contract extension, which will keep him at the club till the summer of 2024.

Leicester City, for as long as fans can remember, has been linked with Paris Saint-Germain’s Abdou Diallo. However, the Foxes haven’t made a concrete step towards signing the Frenchman. Things could take an interesting turn if Chelsea accelerates their interest in Fofana before the end of the transfer window.

Predicted Starting XIs

Chelsea (3-5-2): Edouard Mendy; Trevoh Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Cesar Azpilicueta; Reece James, Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho, Mason Mount, Marc Cucurella; Kai Havertz, Raheem Sterling

Leicester City (4-1-4-1): Danny Ward; Timothy Castagne, Caglar Soyuncu, Jonny Evans, James Justin; Wilfred Ndidi; Youri Tielemans, James Maddison, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Harvey Barnes; Jamie Vardy 

Prediction 

Both teams need a win to return to winning ways. Leicester is yet to register a win in the current season, so will look to exploit Chelsea’s defense, which will be without Koulibaly. The home side will be relying on the depth of their squad to overcome the Foxes. 

Both teams have had a shaky defense so far and attack too but Tuchel’s men look more likely to claim bragging rights on their home turf.