Leeds United vs Chelsea. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats and more
Leeds United will host Chelsea at Elland Road in the 33th round of the English Premier League. The match will take place on May 12, beginning at 00:00 IST.
Leeds take on Chelsea in a rescheduled match of the 33rd round of the EPL. The hosts have 34 points and 18th place – Leeds are in the relegation zone. The visitors currently have 67 points and 3rd place – the Blues are just one point ahead of Arsenal and risk losing their place in the top three. The match is crucial for both teams.
Which team’s will and motivation will be stronger to prevail in the upcoming clash?
Parimatchnews will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.
Leeds United News & Current Form:
On the eve of the match against Arsenal, Jesse Marsh gave a comprehensive interview to the English media in which he shared his three-year development strategy for Leeds. The American has very ambitious, even Napoleonic plans. And it is doubtful that it will be achieved, especially in such a short space of time. Not to mention the fact that it may have to start in Championship.
In the last round, Jesse Marsh’s side got off to a terrible start at the Emirates, conceding two goals quickly and then being left with 10 men after a senseless foul by Luke Ayling. It was clear that, in such a situation, there was no point in counting on a comeback. As a result, the Whites lost 1-2 and slipped back into the relegation zone.
However, Leeds remain the architects of their own destiny. Jesse Marsh’s side have the same number of points with Burnley and are just behind the Clarets on goal difference. In other words, the task for the Whites now is to score more points than their opponents in the remaining three games. And Leeds have a slight advantage: unlike Burnley, the Yorkshire side will play two of their three games on home soil. Therefore, Jesse Marsh’s side’s chances of staying in the English Elite Division are higher (50%) than those of the Burgundies (40%).
In addition, at the end of April, Leeds suffered a depressive defeat at home to monstrous Manchester City (0-4). This, apparently, caused some kind of further decline. But in fact, it’s not all bad, before that Leeds had a streak of five games without defeat. Another issue is that Marsh’s team looks very weak in matches against top-6 opponents.
Bamford, Summerville, Dulles, Roberts and Forshaw cannot play today.
Chelsea News & Current Form:
The match against Chelsea did not initially look like one in which Leeds could expect to pick up any points. The Yorkshire side have not won against the Aristocrats since 2002, having lost five of their last seven fixtures in all competitions. Nevertheless, Chelsea have the FA Cup final on the horizon, the Saturday clash looks like the most important match of the season for the Blues. It is the last opportunity for them to grab a trophy this season, which could be the first for new club owner Todd Boehly.
The American attended Chelsea’s home game against Wolverhampton and was unlikely to be pleased with his ‘debut’. With a two-goal lead, the Londoners have failed to secure a victory as the Wolves managed to equalised just literally in the last seconds.
Don`t miss out 👉: Liverpool handed hammer-blow in title pursuit, Watford relegated back to the Championship, and more…
And thus, the Londoners missed the opportunity to ensure a place in the Champions League. Now, Thomas Tuchel’s side are just one point ahead of in-form Gunners, the arch-rival Spurs have a 5 point gap as well. Therefore, the Chelsea coach cannot give up on the game at Elland Road – he needs to win, but somehow consume as little resources as possible against a super-motivated opponent, even if the difference in class is really huge.
Chillwell, Hudson-Odoi, Kante and Jorginho will not be able to help their team today.
Leeds United season form guide (all competitions): W-D-W-D-L-L
Chelsea season form guide (all competitions): W-L-W-D-L-D
Leeds United vs Chelsea Head-To-Head Record:
| Leeds United | Draw | Chelsea |
| 0 | 1 | 3 |
Leeds United vs Chelsea Predicted XI:
Leeds United possible starting lineup: Meslier; Llorente, Cooper, Koch, Firpo; Klich, Phillips; Raphinha, Rodrigo, Harrison; Gelhardt.
Chelsea possible starting lineup: Mendy; Christensen, Chalobah, Rudiger; James, Kovacic, Loftus-Cheek, Sarr; Mount; Werner, Lukaku.
Statistical preview of the match Leeds United vs Chelsea:
- Thomas Tuchel’s side had picked up just one win in their previous five EPL games, narrowly beating West Ham at home.
- In nine games under Jesse, Leeds have won just three times (four defeats and two draws).
- Leeds United have conceded at home in 19 of their last 21 games in the Premier League.
- Chelsea have scored away in 12 of their last 13 games in the Premier League tournament.
- Leeds United are winless at home in 6 of their last 7 matches in the Premier League.
- Chelsea are unbeaten away in 6 of their last 7 games in the Premier League.
- Leeds United have scored less than 2.5 goals at home in 11 of their last 13 games in the Premier League.
- Chelsea have scored less than 2.5 away goals in 5 consecutive games in the Premier League.
What has been said before the match:
“We look a bit drained, tired mentally. You look at our games and it’s understandable. We had some big knockout games after the international break with huge emotional impact. Losing to Real Madrid, beating Real Madrid but still being out of the Champions League. It’s another reason and everybody knows it. Still, even being tired and distracted, we need to reach a certain level and we can do better than in the last two matches. The motivation was very high to turn things around against Wolves, it was maybe almost too high as we attacked with defenders and opened spaces for counter attacks. So there are good signs and we still trust the team, our players, and trust what brought us here. Now is the time to stay calm and take it step by step.”
“This is a match for them when it’s like do or die. It’s like a cup match and the atmosphere will be like this. I’m looking forward to it actually. I’ve played there once but it was without spectactors. We will feel it straight away so we will need to step up.”
“I think being pragmatic in these moments against the best opponents is always important, but then also is finding times to be aggressive, especially at home,”
the head coach revealed his game plan.
“We all know our fans don’t want to see us sit in our box for 90 minutes, they want to see us be aggressive and bring energy to the game, and we want to do that. But, we want to be pragmatic in our ability to do that, we don’t want to be careless and reckless, we want to be thoughtful and intelligent with our tactical plan and then our ability to be aggressive in the right moments.”
“That’s definitely my way of leading, being positive. We had a talk yesterday, what’s involved in the moment – well in the moment if you look at the nine games I’ve been here, there have been a lot of good performances and we’ve picked up points in a lot of matches. We have to accept that we’re in this situation but we have to stay strong and play with no regrets, make sure we go after it and push to do everything we can. On game day we have to be a combination of pragmatic, clever and tactically be sharp, defend our goal and find ways to be dangerous.”
Leeds United vs Chelsea Prediction:
Chelsea have been seriously underperforming, which could cost the team third place in the standings, something Thomas Tuchel cannot allow to happen. We believe the Pensioners will be able to take control of the game thanks to their superiority in class and budget, resulting in an important win that the team’s fans have been waiting for.
Don`t miss out 👉:Top 5 possible destinations for Christian Eriksen
Parimatch News staff prediction:
We say: Chelsea to win and both to score – Yes.
