Chelsea vs Leeds: Preview & Prediction

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Match Preview:

Chelsea lost 1st place last weekend as they lost their unbeaten away record in a 3-2 loss at West Ham. The Blues have dropped down to 3rd place but there is just 2 points between them and leaders Manchester City so there is all to play for. 

Chelsea will of course be the favourites to win this game and it would be seen as a surprise if the Blues were to drop points here. But points have been dropped recently for Thomas Tuchel’s side where they have won 8 points from their last 15. That return is good for most teams but not quite for a club who want to win the league title. So it’s 1 game won in their last three games and in midweek Chelsea drew 3-3 against Zenit St. Petersburg. It was an exciting game but more or less a dead rubber for the Blues who had qualified for the knock out stages already.

Home form has not been the best for Chelsea either with just two wins from their last five games. This includes drawing their last two games and the Blues last home game finished in a 1-1 draw with Manchester United.

Leeds have moved up a few spots now and are in 15th position and have moved six points clear of the bottom three. There has been improvement with Leeds clearly and they come into this fixture unbeaten in their last three games. Last week Leeds were heading for a defeat against Brentford at home but a last ditch Patrick Bamford effort secured a point. It’s just 3 games won so far for Leeds though and they will be hoping to push on this month but playing Chelsea away looks like a daunting prospect for them.

Away from home it’s just one win so far but Leeds’ defence has tightened up on the road and considering their lowly position they have only conceded 11 goals so far on their travels.

Team News: 

Chelsea: Jorginho will be assessed after a slight back injury forced him to miss the clubs Champions League game in midweek. Trevor Chalobah looks like he is still out with a hamstring injury. Ben Chilwell isn’t back for at least another month because of his knee injury. N’Golo Kante is a major doubt to return after his knee injury. Mateo Kovacic is out with Covid-19.

Leeds: Patrick Bamford is a major doubt for this game after having just come back from injury and he has a muscle problem now. Robin Koch will be assessed after his recent illness. Liam Cooper is out long term with his hamstring. Kalvin Phillips has a hamstring injury and could be out for the next two months. Rodrigo is out with his heel, Pascal Struijk has a knock but is being tipped to be fine.

Chelsea vs Leeds Head to Head:

Chelsea won this fixture 3-1 last season.

Leeds haven’t beaten Chelsea away from home since 1999.

There is a 70% chance to see under 2.5 goals.

Chelsea vs Leeds Prediction:

The injuries seem to be mounting up for Leeds and that includes key players such as Rodrigo and Patrick Bamford. At the same time whilst Chelsea have obviously been strong there have been some signs lately that not all is well with their results. Dropping two points at home to Manchester United isn’t the worst result but doing the same thing against Burnley is never going to help their cause.

West Ham have been excellent this season but Chelsea were leading that game 2-1 and should have seen it out, so there are some questions being asked about Tuchel’s side. This seems a little unfair but that’s what life is like at the top, there will be always be more scrutiny. 

We do expect to see a good flowing game and Leeds will have to take some risks and maybe they will look at the Blues recent form and sudden leaky defence- it’s six goals conceded in their last two games in all competitions and that could give Leeds hope. Chelsea though should be too strong for them but there odds don't hold enough value to back them so we will focus on goals. It will be worth looking into Romelu Lukaku. He’s had a nightmare season so far although injury hasn’t helped his cause. Hopefully his rustiness will have dissipated and if we get him on form he should be amongst the favourites to score at the weekend

Chelsea vs Leeds Betting Tips:

Total goals (Over 2.5) at 1.53

Anytime goalscorer: Romelu Lukaku at 1.91