Tag: Leicester

Chelsea return to league action on Saturday, with the previous two Premier League champions clashing at the Bridge. The visitors come in to this one in much better shape than they were in last term, as the Foxes are now on the verge of the European spots. They come into this clash aiming to apply some pressure on to seventh placed Burnley, with the Foxes likely desperate for European football after their brilliant stint in last season’s Champions League. Can they pick up a result at Stamford Bridge to go towards their push for a place in the Europa League?

The Blues are also focusing on European football, as they look to book back to back seasons in the Champions League. They’ve slipped 16 points behind runaway leaders Man City, but the champions will be pleased about their five point lead over fifth placed Tottenham, with a real battle forming for the top four places. Liverpool – who are directly behind the Blues – have taken a blow in that battle after selling Philippe Coutinho to Chelsea’s upcoming Champions League opponents Barcelona. That, along with Liverpool’s meeting with City this weekend, gives the Blues a chance to really establish themselves in the top four.

Team News: Old Foxes Likely to Face Puel’s Men

Since Leicester’s title success, Chelsea have dipped into the market to pick up two of their championship winning midfielders. N’Golo Kante formed a brilliant partnership with Danny Drinkwater at the King Power, we expect that to be turned on the Foxes in this clash, with both likely to start. We see Conte going with a 3-5-2 set up here. Despite that, we see this game coming a little early for Ross Barkley. David Luiz may have returned last weekend, but we don’t expect him to feature in this one, after a pretty poor display when he came back in against second tier opposition.

Leicester will have to find a way to counter the midfield which helped them to the title, but they now at least have Drinkwater’s replacement available. The Foxes made the smart signing of Sporting Lisbon midfielder Adrien Silva, but given the late and very far from smart confirmation of the deal, he couldn’t be registered until January. The visitors make this trip without a pair of full-backs, with Ben Chilwell and Danny Simpson both out. The visitors are likely to start with a 4-4-1-1 set-up, with Silva likely to be the second defensive midfielder alongside Vincente Iborra.

Leicester Form

Leicester come into this game with a similar result to Chelsea last weekend – a disappointing 0-0 at lower league opposition. They drew at Fleetwood – Jamie Vardy’s former side. They now face a replay against the League One outfit in mid-January, with the Blues going up against Norwich. That result was a blow to the Foxes, who will be targeting a cup run. They will want to push for silverware, while boss Claude Puel took Southampton to Wembley in the EFL Cup last term.

In the league, the Foxes ended a four game winless run by beating Huddersfield 3-0 on New Year’s Day, which has pushed them up the table. They’re continuing to look for a top seven finish, which could bring European football. However, their back to back league defeats on the road haven’t helped that push, and neither has their poor record against the league’s top six sides.

Chelsea v Leicester Head to Head

While the Blues picked up a single point against Leicester in the Foxes’ title winning season, they have a great record against them of late. Back to back wins in the Blues’ latest title success were accompanied by a 4-2 win after extra time in the EFL Cup last term. The 2-1 victory at the King Power this season continued that run, and we expect another impressive result from the home side this weekend.

• Leicester 1-2 Chelsea, Sep 2017
• Leicester 0-3 Chelsea, Jan 2017
• Chelsea 3-0 Leicester, Oct 2016
• Leicester 2-4 Chelsea, Sep 2016
• Chelsea 1-1 Leicester, May 2016

Betting Tips

• Both Teams to Score – Evens with Betfair
• Over 2.5 Chelsea Goals – 11/10 with Betfred

Chelsea come into this clash as heavy favourites for the points, priced at 1/4 with BetVictor to win on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Foxes are 11/1 with Coral to take a shock victory, with the draw out at 9/2 with Ladbrokes. You have to think those prices are deserved, given how the visitors have managed to win just three away games all season so far. They’re unlikely to add to that when they head to the champions, given how poor they’ve been when they’ve met the league’s big six clubs so far this season.

Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal have all claimed victories over Leicester at home this term. The Pensioners should add to that run, thanks to some decent form at Stamford Bridge of late. They’ve won 73% of their games here this season, including all of their last seven in the Premier League. That should make this another win for Antonio Conte and his men, with Leicester losing their last two on the road to Watford and Liverpool. This could be another defeat, but that doesn’t mean the high-scoring visitors are about to easily roll over in this trip.

While Leicester haven’t got the greatest away record this season, they have seen both teams score in 82% of their away trips to date. That run has seen them average 1.64 goals per game in their away trips, and we’re backing them to add to that with a strike at the Bridge. On top of that, we’re also backing a few goals for the champions. The Foxes have struggled at the back on their travels, while the hosts are coming off the back of a 5-0 win over Stoke. As a result, we’re going for over 2.5 goals for the hosts at 11/10 with Betfred.

Chelsea return from the international break aiming to continue their winning form. With new bodies through the door on transfer deadline day, the Blues hierarchy believe they have a squad capable of challenging for the Premier League title. It remains to be seen just how true that is, or how much Antonio Conte shares their opinion. The new additions could make an appearance this weekend, as the Blues kick off a run of seven games in three weeks straight after many of their squad flew around the world for international clashes.

Of course, Leicester have the same issues given the number of internationals they now have on their books. The former champions have made a solid start to the new campaign, and they’re certainly looking like contenders for a European spot. Having added plenty of squad depth – something which Chelsea and Conte struggled to do – the Foxes have to be respected this term. They gave Arsenal a game on the opening day, whilst they kicked off their campaign at home with a 2-0 victory over Brighton. Can they add to that win when the champions visit the King Power.

Team News: Conte ready to welcome back Hazard

Chelsea may have added in a couple of bodies to the squad, but the key thing for them is the return of Eden Hazard. The Belgian hasn’t featured for the Blues since May, but despite missing preseason he still lined up for his international team over the break. He’s now fit to return for the Blues this weekend, which is a massive boost as Conte gets to line him up with Alvaro Morata. Given the nature of Chelsea’s squad right now, getting everyone back to fitness is crucial. That should see Willian and Pedro competing to play alongside Hazard, with competition across the team once again. That gives the manager the option to rotate ahead of the club’s return to European football next week.

Leicester have been lining up with a 4-4-1-1 formation this term, with Jamie Vardy as their central striker. Having lost Danny Drinkwater to Chelsea, the Foxes have signed Sporting Lisbon captain Adrien Silva to replace him. He could start in an impressive midfield alongside Vincente Iborra, which will be tough for Chelsea to break through. With those two likely to feature just behind Shinji Okazaki, the Foxes work rate will be tough to match. The hosts are certainly in much better shape than when they last hosted Chelsea, with the club then spiralling towards the drop zone.

Leicester Form

Leicester head in to this game on the back of one win from three, but they’re playing much better than that suggests. Having met Arsenal and Manchester United away in the opening weeks of the season, this has been a tricky start for Craig Shakespeare. They weren’t blown away in either of those two, holding out against United for 70 minutes before losing 2-0. Their clash with Arsenal was a seven goal thriller, in which the Gunners hit two late goals to secure the points. Having tested themselves against those two, the Foxes will certainly be up for this challenge on Saturday.

Leicester did manage to win their only home, game pulling off a 2-0 win over Brighton. The Foxes were able to cruise past most of the bottom half sides last term, but they did struggle against top teams. They may have plenty of options in their squad, but can that bridge the gap between themselves and the Blues? It’s going to take a huge step up for them to get anything from this clash.

Leicester v Chelsea Head to Head

Chelsea took advantage of Leicester’s problems last season to claim two 3-0 victories, which helped propel them to the title. The Blues also beat Leicester in the EFL Cup, but they weren’t as successful the season before. Having lost at the King Power, Jose Mourinho then lost his job. Antonio Conte will be hoping the same doesn’t happen when his Blues take their title defence to the King Power.

• Leicester 0-3 Chelsea, Jan 2017
• Chelsea 3-0 Leicester, Oct 2016
• Leicester 2-4 Chelsea, Sept 2016
• Chelsea 1-1 Leicester, May 2016
• Leicester 2-1 Chelsea, Dec 2015

Betting Tips

• Chelsea to win – 4/5 with Betfred
• Morata to score any time – 23/20 with Coral

Having claimed back to back wins, Chelsea will be aiming to carry that momentum across the international break. With a packed schedule on the horizon, the Blues need to kick off with a win here, and the bookies are reflecting that in their prices. The draw here is available at 13/5 with Bet365, while you can back Leicester at 15/4 with BetVictor to claim a home win. Those odds are probably fair, despite the Foxes impressing at times this season. Their results so far make them underdogs.

Chelsea head into this one as deserved favourites, and we’re backing them at solid enough odds of 4/5 with Betfred. Having won two matches on the spin against top sides, the Blues have shown that they’re back to their title winning form of old. They’ve impressed against both Tottenham and Everton, and they should use that form to get a result at the King Power. We’re backing the away win here, which looks like a great price given how the Blues have picked up since losing to Burnley.

Morata has looked strong for the Blues since joining from Real Madrid, and he reiterated his debt to Conte during the international break. He’s always been desperate to play for the Italian, and we see him repaying that debt this weekend. His great start should continue against a Leicester side who have shipped goals to both Arsenal and Manchester United’s new big money strikers. We see Morata piling in on top. He’s priced at 23/20 with Coral to score any time this weekend.

Chelsea return to Premier League action on Saturday evening, as they travel to reigning champions Leicester. The Blues are looking to regain the trophy which the Foxes took from them in May, and a victory here would go a long way towards that. Defeat at Tottenham may have ended their impressive winning run in the top flight, but they can’t let that hold them back here.

While Leicester are struggling in the table, this will still be a big test for the Blues. The King Power still isn’t an easy place to visit, especially now Claudio Ranieri’s men aren’t being distracted by the Champions League. Will Chelsea come away from here with their five point lead intact, or will they suffer another blow in their push for the title?

Team News: Stars set to return ahead of tough test

Chelsea are hoping to get John Terry’s suspension overturned, after he was sent off against Peterborough last weekend. However, he probably would have dropped out of the team this weekend anyway, as Antonio Conte is likely to restore many of his top stars to the line-up this weekend. He made 10 changes for the FA Cup third round tie, all of which are likely to be reversed. The Italian switched to a 3-5-2 for that game, but he’ll likely revert to a 3-4-3 once he puts his main men back in the starting line-up.

Only Gary Cahill kept his place from the defeat at Tottenham, with fringe players getting a run out. There was a welcome return for Kurt Zouma, after 11 months on the sidelines. He should push for a place in the starting line up over the coming weeks, although this might come a little early for him. He’ll have more competition at centre-half, now that Nathan Ake has returned from his loan at Bournemouth. Conte clearly rates the young defender, so expect to see him in the first team soon enough.

Leicester have no injury worries ahead of this clash, but they do have a few key absentees. The Foxes are without three players, who have all travelled to Gabon for the Africa Cup of Nations. Daniel Amartey, Riyad Mahrez and Islam Slimani are all on international duty. Missing those three is a blow for Ranieri, just as they started to find form in the Premier League.

Leicester Form

Leicester are down in 15th place in the league, which is some drop from their excellent campaign last time around. The Foxes have mostly struggled on the road, having taken just three points on their travels. At home they’re a lot more comfortable, winning half of their 10 games here, claiming 18 points overall. They’ve lost just two of their league matches at the King Power, but both of those have come in their last five here. Even their strong home form looks to be tailing off, which is a worry for Ranieri.

The Foxes recently recorded an impressive win over Manchester City here, which seemed like a return to their title winning form. They were 3-0 up in 20 minutes against City, before going 4-0 up with 10 minutes to go. City had a small fightback, but that display was an impressive one from the champions. Their strong performance was thought to be down to Pep Guardiola’s tactics, rather than anything Leicester did. His City side were so open, it was the kind of approach which the Foxes took advantage of regularly last term. Few sides give them that much space now.

Leicester v Chelsea Head to Head

In their last meeting at Stamford Bridge, the Blues had few problems dispatching the champions. They’ve met twice this season, winning both games. They made the trip to the King Power in the League Cup, going 2-0 down before fighting back to force extra time. Their last league meeting here was Jose Mourinho’s final match in charge of the club, as they lost 2-1 against the then league leaders.

• Chelsea 3-0 Leicester, Oct 2016
• Leicester 2-4 Chelsea, Sep 2016
• Chelsea 1-1 Leicester, May 2016
• Leicester 2-1 Chelsea, Dec 2015
• Leicester 1-3 Chelsea, Apr 2015

Betting Tips

• Both teams to score – 5/6 with Coral
• Diego Costa to score first – 3/1 with Betfair

Chelsea are heavy favourites to win here, despite Leicester’s strong home record. The Blues are priced at 8/13 with Betfred to take all three points on Saturday evening. Meanwhile, BetVictor make Leicester the 5/1 outsiders for the points. There’s little value in backing the leaders to take the points here. They’re justified in that short price, given that they have the best away record in the top flight, even after their loss at Spurs. However, there a couple of value bets to grab on this clash.

Leicester’s strong record here means they should be able to get a goal in this game. They’ve scored in 70% of their league matches at the King Power, while they’ve found the net in seven of their last eight in all competitions at home. Chelsea have a strong defence, but we can see it being exposed by the likes of Jamie Vardy. We’re backing both teams to score in this game, which seems well priced at 5/6 with Coral ahead of kick off.

We’re also backing a big impact from Diego Costa here, with the striker returning to the side after being rested last weekend. That short break allowed some game time for Michy Batshuayi, but it’s unlikely to give the Belgian another start. Costa is the league’s top scorer, and he should get the chance to continue his fantastic scoring record with a goal here. We can see the Spaniard opening the scoring in this one, he’s priced at 3/1 with Betfair to score the first goal. You can back him to score any time here at 8/11 with Sky Bet.