Chelsea vs Leeds United – Preview, Lineups, Score Prediction
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Fixture: Chelsea vs Leeds United
Competition: Premier League
Kick-off: 10th February, 19:30 UK time
Leeds United head to Chelsea this evening in a Premier League clash with both teams having their own reasons to want to continue to pick up points.
Chelsea’s young manager Liam Rosenior is slowly but gradually making his mark on the Premier League scene. He has now won his first four Premier League games and has complemented it with another two wins in the Champions League and one in the FA Cup.
Given the doubts over Rosenior at the top level, the manager will be delighted with his start. He did a decent job at Chelsea’s sister club Strasbourg but Stamford Bridge is a different ball game altogether. The expectation levels are high, proof of which is the huge turnover of players and managers in recent years.
It might have been very different for Rosenior had he been interested in the Birmingham City job in the summer of 2024.
Heading into the midweek game against Leeds United, Chelsea will know that they have minimal ground to lose. Chelsea currently trail fourth-placed Manchester United by just a single point, but points dropped on Tuesday could put a dent on that record.
Yet another matter of headache is Chelsea’s most recent record against Leeds United. The match inside Elland Road this season ended in a 3-1 defeat, with the home team rejoicing at having put three past their mighty opponents.
It was the start of a notable recovery for Leeds United against Chelsea the last time at the start of December. The win was followed by six draws and three wins in eleven Premier League matches, helping them build breathing space over the relegation zone.
Their form has prompted club legends such as Dominic Matteo to comment on the balanced nature of the squad, with the players being able to deliver quality across multiple positions.
A reflection of that rediscovered form was seen against Nottingham Forest, who they again humbled 3-1 on Friday night.
Leeds are boosted by having Lukas Nmecha available to play the whole game if boss Daniel Farke wishes, with the German admitting to having been surprised at how sharp the attacker has looked.
Visits to Stamford Bridge are always tough for Leeds though and from Javi Gracia urging an aggressive approach ahead of a game in 2023, to a Whites legend smelling opportunity on a 2021 trip, Farke will have to do something no Leeds side have done since 1999, win there, if the points are to come back to Yorkshire.
Predicted Lineups
Recent Form (league)
Chelsea: WWWWL
Leeds United: WLDWL
Key Men
Chelsea
Chelsea are expected to play an attacking game while keeping the defence solid. Having taken lessons from their last defeat, the players of the London team will want to counter the aerial threat posed by Farke’s men.
With height being a key determining factor, French defender Benoit Badiashile could hold the key. He can be a physical presence inside the Chelsea penalty box and together with his partner Trevoh Chalobah, can make things difficult for the visitors.
Keeping the defensive organisation intact, the Pensioners can then go and hurt the hosts. In attack Cole Palmer can be an orchestrator, around whom Chelsea’s attack could revolve.
Despite missing a chunk of games with a groin injury, Palmer has still managed seven goals in 14 Premier League games and a one more would do him no harm.
Leeds United
Leeds United are becoming more and more dependent on their six feet two inch striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin. His scoring goals is directly proportional to Leeds winning matches. His presence has so important that former players such as Michael Bridges has admitted that he would have relished playing with him.
The 28-year-old has ten goals already and one or two more against Chelsea, a team he has already scored against, would delight the travelling Whites.
In the absence of Pascal Struijk, who is set to miss out through an injury, more responsibility will be resting on the shoulders of his team-mate Joe Rodon.
The 28-year-old has already earned the tag of a ‘warrior’ from his manager and at Stamford Bridge under the lights, it could be occasion for the former Tottenham Hotspur man to show that he deserves all the applause.
Match Prediction
Despite Leeds having caused an upset the last time the two met this term, Stamford Bridge could prove to be a tough challenge for the newly-promoted Premier League team. Chelsea have their new-found confidence to go with under their new manager. They will be more than eager to extend their winning run to five matches, despite the onslaught of games they have been going through.
For Farke’s Leeds side, a draw could mean just as much as a win as relegation rivals will likely have marked this game down as a loss for the Whites.
Given that, if Leeds get a draw then that would be a further blow to those sides battling to climb over them in the table. Farke may want to set up with some caution, but it is hard to see Leeds keeping Chelsea at bay for the whole 90 minutes.
Inside Futbol Score Prediction
Chelsea 2-1 Chelsea
Where To Watch?
Chelsea vs Leeds United will be shown live by TNT Sports on their TNT Sports 4 channel, with a kick-off time of 19:30 scheduled. It can also be followed via audio commentary via each teams’ respective website.
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