After 11 rounds of EPL football the Foxes are in 12th place on the table. It’s been a disappointing season so far for Leicester after many believed that they were serious contenders for a Top 4 spot at the beginning of the season. However, with a record of four wins, four losses and three draws their chances of qualifying for a spot in Europe next season now looks to be in jeopardy. In their last match before the international break they missed out on more valuable points when they drew 1-1 away to Leeds. This comes in addition to draws away to Crystal Palace and at home to Burnley – fixtures where they really should have picked up maximum points. After following up their win against Manchester United with a 2-1 win away to Brentford things were looking up for Brendan Rogers’ men, but two winless performances since has sent them back into a slump. Defensively they have let in 18 goals this season which is the fourth worst defense in the league and they have not managed to keep a clean sheet since the opening day of the season against Wolves. It’s quite evident that they would be in a higher position on the table if their defense had been tighter and until they manage to sort out this issue they will struggle to get anywhere near the Top 5. Saturday’s fixture against Chelsea will see their defense being put under immense pressure again against the second highest scoring team in the league and it looks unlikely that we will see a Leicester recovery this week.
The Blues went into the international break with a 1-1 draw at home to Burnley. Tuchel’s men will undoubtedly be disappointed in missing out on the three points in this match, but they still find themselves at the top of the table with 26 points with nearly one third of the season gone. Two weeks ago against Burnley was the first time Chelsea conceded in four matches and it was only the fourth goal they have conceded this entire season. Up until recently their defense has been stellar and has set them apart from the rest of the league, while their attack is the second best with 27 goals. Chelsea have won the most matches in the league this season (8) and are now undefeated in their last five EPL matches. It is looking very likely that they will extend this to nine matches as they get ready to take on a struggling Leicester team with major issues on defense. Prior to their draw to Burnley the Blues managed a 3-0 win away to Newcastle, a 7-0 win at home to Norwich, a 1-0 win away to Brentford and a 3-1 win at home to Southampton.
It’s all square in the last five EPL matches between the two teams with each side winning one and the remaining three matches ending in a draw. The most recent clash between the two teams was in May this year at Stamford Bridge which saw Chelsea winning 2-1, while the last clash between the sides at the King Power saw Leicester come out on top with a 2-0 win. Three out of the last five clashes have seen both teams finding the net and Chelsea have only failed two score twice in seven EPL trips to Leicester.
Leicester did manage to pull of an amazing result at home against Manchester United just over a month ago, but somehow I don’t see that happening again against a side like Chelsea. Despite conceding against Burnley I still feel Chelsea have got all their ducks in order defensively and I don’t believe the Foxes have the power to score against them. Although their win at home against Manchester United gives the impression that they can pull off big results at the King Power Stadium, it’s important to remember that the Red Devils were going through a lot of problems and a big slump when that victory occurred. The Blues may have had a slight slip-up against Burnley, but they are far from being in a slump and expect them to win this match comfortably. I am quite surprised that you can get 1.80 for a Chelsea win and I am more than happy to jump on this great price. I also don’t see the Foxes scoring in this one so I will back one team to score, while I also suspect that the floodgates might open later on in the match so I will stick a little bit on Chelsea to win and over 2.5 goals. Goalscorers are always hard to pick for the Blues due to the huge variety in their attack but I am going to back Reece James to remain hot after his double against Newcastle and to score in this match.
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