Preview: Leicester City Vs Chelsea
The excruciatingly mundane international break is finally over, and it’s time we look forward to the Premier League again as Leicester City take on a red-hot Chelsea at the King Power Stadium in a bid to get going.
Leicester City
It was another day and another defeat for Leicester City against Manchester United. The Foxes went to the Old Trafford with their eyes firmly set on the three points; however, United soon made it clear that they are the title favourites for a reason. The defeat, nonetheless, wasn’t as bad for Leicester, who put on a remarkable defensive performance at the backyard of a side that’s being currently praised for its fluidity and goalscoring prowess.
Craig Shakespeare’s side have mostly been criticised for their defensive frailties, but against the Reds, they did show that putting in a shift isn’t a new concept to them, which is exactly what holds the key to ending up unscathed when Chelsea come. The reigning champions aren’t firing on all cylinders at the moment, but they know how to get a result as indeed they proved against Tottenham Hotspur.
The main challenge, therefore, would be scoring, not defending against the Blues, with their attack struggling a bit currently but the back three doing just as well.
Man to watch
The transfer window now closed, Riyad Mahrez is still a Leicester City player and that’s all that matters. Even with all the speculation surrounding him, the Algerian has been in top form so far, and he’ll only get better as the season progresses. He’s your man for the big game.
Quotes
"“It’s going to be a good occasion with Chelsea coming to King Power Stadium,” Marc Albrighton told lcfc.com."
"“We feel confident that we can get all three points. When you’re at home, you want to set your stall out that you can beat anyone and we’ve got that mentality.“It’s the right mentality to have and we feel that if we can start well and get them on the back foot early on, we can go from there. Hopefully we can get a few goals.”"
Predicted XI
Schmeichel; Simpson, Maguire, Morgan, Fuchs; Albrighton, Ndidi, James, Mahrez; Vardy, Okazaki.
Chelsea
A 3-2 drubbing on the opening day seems to have worked for Chelsea, who had the alarm bells ringing earlier than they would have liked to, but it’s all fine for now. The Blues have two wins in their previous two games against Tottenham Hotspur and Everton, so there’s no shortage of confidence at least.
Antonio Conte, however, must ensure that his side are wary of the threat that Leicester City themselves possess, particularly at home, where the atmosphere alone can make it tough for the visiting teams. The home side aren’t the kind to sit back and let the opponent dictate terms, and if Chelsea are complacent, they’ll pay the price
Man to watch
Alvaro Morata has made an excellent start to life in England, netting twice in the Premier League in three appearances. The pressure now off and the country starting to rate him, expect more goals.
Quotes
"“I watched Leicester’s previous games this season and I saw a very strong team, a team with great concentration and focus,” Antonio Conte told Chelseafc.com.“They lost a game against Arsenal at the end and we must pay great attention because they have players like Vardy, Mahrez, Maguire, and great experience with Morgan and Fuchs”."
Predicted XI
Courtois; Azpilicueta, Luiz, Rudiger; Bakayoko, Kante, Moses, Alonso; Pedro, Willian, Morata.