Chelsea vs Leicester City – Match preview and team news | OneFootball

Chelsea will be looking to record consecutive league wins for the first time this calendar year by overcoming Leicester City this afternoon.

The Blues succeeded in the Europa Conference League in midweek as they beat FC Copenhagen 2-1 in Denmark.

Enzo Maresca and his players will undoubtedly have one eye on the second leg which is on Thursday at Stamford Bridge.

Wesley Fofana has participated in training over the last fortnight and will be part of the squad against his former club. The Frenchman didn’t travel to Copenhagen during midweek due to slight fitness concerns.

It’s more positive news for the west Londoners as Romeo Lavia is also being reintegrated into training. Maresca is likely to be cautious with his return. The 21-year-old‘s time at Chelsea has been plagued by injury.

Malo Gusto is rumoured to have shaken off the knock that forced him to prematurely exit the field on Thursday, while Nicolas Jackson is on course to return after the international break.

Time is running out for Leicester City to mount a late push for Premier League survival.

Last season’s champions of the second tier are six points adrift of safety, having lost five games in a row.

After a 10-day break from action, Ruud van Nistelrooy had no fresh injury concerns to report in his pre-match press conference on Friday. He confirmed the availability of Wayo Coulibaly, who was absent from their 2-0 loss to West Ham last time out.

Chelsea vs Leicester City – Match preview and team news

Form

Chelsea: LLLWW

Chelsea’s season is back on track after picking up two consecutive wins over Southampton and FC Copenhagen.

Prior to those victories, the Blues had lost four matches in a five-game period which saw them lose sight of Champions League qualification.

A 4-0 triumph over a struggling Southampton did wonders for their confidence before earning a vital advantage in the first leg of their Europa Conference League tie.

Reece James and Enzo Fernandez netted against Copenhagen in the Danish capital before Gabriel Pereira gave the opposition an interest heading into the second leg.

Since the 2021 FA Cup final, when Leicester beat Chelsea at Wembley, the Blues haven’t been defeated by the Foxes in seven meetings.

Leicester: LLLLL

Leicester are enduring an abysmal run of form having lost 11 of their last 12 league fixtures.

Ruud van Nistelrooy’s arrival at the King Power Stadium hasn’t alleviated the Foxes’ fears of relegation. Wolves’ draw against Everton yesterday means Leicester are six points adrift of safety.

Arguably the most worrying aspect of their results is their lack of goals. They have failed to find the net in six of their last eight matches.

Their 4-0 home humiliation to Brentford just over a fortnight ago set an unwanted record. They were the first team in Premier League history to go six home games without scoring.

Last Meeting

Leicester 1-2 Chelsea, Premier League, 23rd November 2024

Enzo Maresca’s return to the King Power Stadium saw him guide his Chelsea team to a 2-1 victory.

Nicolas Jackson capitalised on woeful defending from Wout Faes to fire the visitors in front on the quarter of an hour mark.

The Belgian failed to clear on three occasions which saw the ball fall to Jackson, who poked a finish out of the reach of Mads Hermansen.

Leicester were then fortunate not to be reduced to 10 men following Wilfred Ndidi’s stamp on Cole Palmer’s heel.

Chelsea were cutting through the Foxes at will in the first half and they carried that attitude into the second period.

A miscommunication between Noni Madueke and Palmer resulted in the pair inexplicably failing to breach an open net. Jackson’s shot had been pushed into the latter’s path but Madueke couldn’t get himself out of the way and ended up inadvertently blocking the effort on the line.

Shorty after, another rebound arose from a saved Jackson attempt and the Blues made no mistake on this occasion.

The Senegalese striker’s header was parried in the direction of the onrushing Enzo Fernandez who nodded in Chelsea’s second.

Jordan Ayew managed to halve the deficit from the spot with virtually the last kick of the game. Bobby Decordova-Reid had been clipped in the box by Levi Colwill and Ayew just managed to convert the subsequent penalty past Robert Sanchez.

However, referee Andy Madley blew his whistle for the final time seconds later and Chelsea returned to London with an important three points.

Predicted Lineups

Chelsea: Jorgensen; Gusto, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Sancho; Nkunku

Leicester: Hermansen, Justin, Faes, Okoli, Kristiansen; Ndidi, Winks; Buonanotte, El Khannouss, Ayew, Vardy

Who is the referee?

Tim Robinson will be the match official. Stuart Burt and Steve Meredith will assist him while Sam Barrott will be the fourth official. The VAR will be Darren England and he will be assisted by Nick Hopton.

What TV channel will Chelsea vs Leicester be on?

Chelsea vs Leicester will not be televised in the United Kingdom.

What time is kick-off?

Kick-off at Stamford Bridge will be at 14:00 GMT on Sunday 9th March 2025.

Chelsea vs Leicester Match Odds

Chelsea: 2/11

Draw: 7/1

Leicester: 11/1

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