Leicester City vs Chelsea
Chelsea picked up a much-needed Premier League win in their west London derby against Fulham over the weekend. That snapped the Blues’ run of three matches without a win and put them back on track in the jam-packed top half of the table.
However, Chelsea will face another tough test as they take on Leicester City, who have risen to second spot after their 2-0 victory over Southampton.
Brendan Rodgers’ Foxes have given Frank Lampard’s side some problems in recent meetings, and they will be keen to take advantage of the struggling Blues at the King Power.
Talking Points
Leicester remain contenders amid Vardy struggles
Leicester City jumped up to second place in the Premier League table after picking up a 2-0 victory at home to Southampton. It was the Foxes’ third win on the trot in all competitions and pushed their current unbeaten run in the league to five matches in a row (3 wins, 2 draws).
Jamie Vardy had 7 shots on goal against Southampton, but his finishing let him down as he has now gone four games without a goal.
However, the likes of James Maddison, Harvey Barnes, and Youri Tielemans have stepped up to produce some Premier League 2021 highlights for Leicester amid Vardy’s struggles.
Maddison has rediscovered his goalscoring form with 4 goals in his last 6 matches, and Barnes has netted in 4 of his last 5 matches. Meanwhile, Tielemans has been running the show in midfield. The Belgian has a goal and 3 assists in his last 3 matches.
Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers should also be pleased that his side kept a clean sheet for the first time in four matches. The Foxes are finally getting healthier at the back. Top defensive midfielder Wilfred Ndidi is back to being a regular starter after his recent injury woes, while centre-back Caglar Soyuncu made his third substitute appearance in a row as he continues to work his way back into the side.
Soyuncu came on for Wesley Fofana, who had a disappointing performance against Saints, which could see him dropped for their match against Chelsea.
Chelsea still not firing on all cylinders
After a disastrous festive period which saw them lose to Arsenal on Boxing Day and Man City, Chelsea picked up a crucial 1-0 victory over Fulham in their west London derby over the weekend, as the Premier League 2021 odds had them heavily favoured to do.
Chelsea completely bossed the match as they controlled 70 per cent of possession and had 21 shots, but only six were on target as they struggled to create many clear-cut opportunities, particularly in the first half.
The Blues eventually picked things up a bit in the second half and got the much-needed goal through Mason Mount, who also hit the crossbar. But Frank Lampard will be disappointed that his side didn’t win by more, especially as Fulham went down to 10 men just before half-time.
Despite scoring against in their 4-0 win over Morecambe in the FA Cup, Lampard opted not to start the struggling German duo of Timo Werner and Kai Havertz. Werner did come off the bench, but he missed a great chance to get a goal deep into stoppage time as his scoring drought in the league continued.
Lampard still does not seem to know what his preferred starting XI is, particularly when it comes to his best attacking combination. Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, and Olivier Giroud, started against Fulham, but Callum Hudson-Odoi and Tammy Abraham could get a chance to start as Lampard likely rotates his squad for this midweek clash.
N’Golo Kante did not feature in the Fulham match due to a one-game suspension, but he should return to the heart of Chelsea’s midfield to face his former club. Meanwhile, Cesar Azpilicueta could continue at right-back if Reece James does not recover from his hamstring issue.
History
Chelsea have had the upper hand over Leicester in terms of their recent head-to-heads. They own 10 wins to the Foxes’ 2 in their last 17 meetings all competitions.
However, 5 of those 10 wins have come in cup competitions. Things have been a bit more competitive in the Premier League.
In fact, Leicester are unbeaten in their last five meetings against Chelsea, with four draws and a win. They drew both matches last season, which includes an entertaining 2-2 stalemate at the King Power Stadium.
However, Chelsea have a decent record away to Leicester. They haven’t lost in their last eight trips there in all competitions, with their last loss coming back in 2015.
Betting Tip
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Leicester City vs Chelsea | Leicester City Asian Handicap +0.25 @ 1.87 |
| January 20, 04:15 (GMT+8) |
SBOTOP odds have Chelsea as slight 2.35 favourites away from home, while Leicester are priced at 3.00. A draw is 3.25.
Leicester have been quite disappointing at home this season, with just 4 wins and 4 losses in 9 matches at the King Power.
But with Chelsea far from their best at the moment, the Foxes have a great opportunity to pick up a point – and maybe more – at home as they continue their title challenge.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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