England Premier League
Tuesday 18th May 2021
Kick off at 8:15pm BST
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Match Preview:
Arguably Chelsea have been the best team in the Premier League for the past four months, but it could end up counting for very little. There is a chance that the Blues will win nothing this season and not even qualify for the Champions League.
They will be licking their wounds after losing the FA Cup final against….Leicester, their opponents here just days after that infamous final. At least Chelsea can try and avenge that final loss almost immediately but what a body blow that would have been to the club. The FA Cup final loss followed only Chelsea’s 2nd defeat in the league under Thomas Tuchel as they lost 1-0 to home Arsenal it means that their top 4 hopes are in the balance.
Chelsea are in 4th with 64 points and just 1 point behind them is Liverpool and there is the Blues’ biggest threat for their top four hopes. However if Chelsea can win this game then it is Leicester who will feel the pressure and if Liverpool beat Burnley the day after the Foxes could drop to 5th place with 1 game to go. It means that this match could be one of the best to watch this season, there is simply so much riding on it.
As for Leicester if they win this game they have guaranteed to finish in the top four, a repeat FA Cup performance is required. But we can’t go much further assessing Leicester’s chances without firstly congratulating the club in their FA Cup victory over Chelsea. It is the Foxes first ever FA Cup win and caps off an amazing 5 years which has seen the club win the cup and also, of course the league title. Much credit to them.
Football can be cruel though because if Leicester lose this game their Champions League qualification hopes could come crashing down from all sides and in just a matter of days the glory could become sadness, that is football. What the club must remember is that the ball is in their court, they still hold all the cards.
Leicester’s last game was a 2-1 victory against a much changed Manchester United side but the Foxes have earned 10 points from their last 15. Away from home Brendan Rodgers side has the third best record in the league and have only lost two times. The recent victory over Manchester United was the Foxes 11th of the season on the road.
Team News:
Chelsea: The Blues have no injuries ahead of this game.
Leicester: Jonny Evans has a foot injury from the FA Cup final and could miss this encounter. Harvey Barnes is out for the season with his knee.
Chelsea vs Leicester Head to Head:
Last season this fixture finished 1-1.
Earlier in the season Leicester beat Chelsea 2-0 in the reverse fixture.
Chelsea haven’t beaten Leicester at home in the league since 2016.
5 of the last six league meetings has ended in under 2.5 goals.
Chelsea vs Leicester Prediction:
What a game we have on our hands and it may not always be pretty to watch but there is so much on this game and you get the feeling that all eyes will be on Chelsea. This is a side under Tuchel who have looked absolutely world class but just a handful of defeats could undo their whole season. A draw is no good for Chelsea and they must win this game at the same time we know that their recent league record at home over Leicester has been poor and the Foxes have been able to read their game and get some great results against them.
As for Leicester yes they won the cup so it means that Chelsea will start this game on the front foot and press for most of the game. Could Chelsea lose 2 games at home in a row? What we have seen is that the club aren’t shy to drop points at home even under Tuchel and Chelsea are not scoring many goals under him as well.
Chelsea are odds on but a decent price to win and man for man they still have a better squad than Leicester. This is the game where the players have to stand up, just how good are they? It will be difficult but we will back Chelsea to produce the goods when it matters, and after the sheer disappointment of losing the cup final surely the club will have a desire to bounce back from the experience.
Chelsea vs Leicester Betting Tips:
Chelsea to beat Leicester at 1.70
Anytime goalscorer: Timo Werner at 2.50
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