Believe it or not, there is still a football match being played amidst all of this transfer drama! Chelsea hosts Leicester City (for a game this time, not a nice dinner) in west London on Saturday. The fourth Premier League game of the season will see Thomas Tuchel’s side—well, technically Arno Michels’ squad for a match—welcome Brendan Rodgers and his Foxes to Stamford Bridge.
Claiming there is tension between the two sides currently would be an understatement after the Blues reportedly struck an agreement with another talented Leicester player, Wesley Fofana. If he officially moves to SW6, Fofana will become the fourth player that Chelsea will have signed from the Foxes in the last six years (alongside N’Golo Kante, Danny Drinkwater and Ben Chilwell). Therefore, there’s reason to believe tensions could potentially boil over onto the battlefield. It’s fair to call Stamford Bridge a battlefield these days, right?
Each team will feel how it may about the Fofana transfer saga, but one thing is certain: both clubs desperately need three points on Saturday. Leicester currently resides in the relegation zone with just one point (a 2-2 draw with Brentford) from three matches. Meanwhile, the Blues sit 12th on four points after being drubbed by Leeds United last weekend. They will be at a slight disadvantage though considering Mateo Kovacic, Kalidou Koulibaly and Kante will be left out of the starting XI, with the latter duo missing out on the match altogether. Chelsea has its work cut out for it against the Foxes, but who will emerge victorious?
Here is how The Pride of London team sees the contest playing out:
Olaoluwa Nwobodo: 2-1 Chelsea
You’d think Tuchel and the Blues have learnt from their mistakes … right?
Vishnu Raj: 2-1 Chelsea
Raheem Sterling will open his account with his new club. Leicester will equalise from a gift, which is lately the case for the Blues. Reece James will get the winner late on.
Gabe Henderson: 3-1 Chelsea
“Chelsea’s got to blow an opponent “out of the water” soon, right?” he asked hopefully. In all seriousness, I think the Blues will rally around the fact that Tuchel isn’t on the touchline and they’ll want to bounce back after last week’s performance. They need to stop themselves from slipping further and further down the table. It could always be worse though, at least Chelsea isn’t Liverpool or Manchester United right now. Sadly, the Blues are not too far off either.
Barrett Rouen: 1-0 Chelsea
Though I am seriously worried about Tuchel’s player selections recently, I’m hoping the Blues manage to get to the end of the transfer window without making any dumb and overpriced business. decisions Good news is I think Chelsea’s thoroughly distracted Leicester enough here to make something of this match. It’ll be a boring and methodical win, but an important three points.
Caden Charpentier: 2-1 Chelsea
If the Blues don’t win this game, there is going to be a lot of people sprinting to reach for the panic button. Who knows where the goals are coming from, but it could not get any worse than the horrid performance against Leeds United last weekend.
Anthony Gatt: 1-1 Draw
Leicester finds itself with just one point and 19th in the table right now, but the Foxes still have the quality to cause trouble for Chelsea. If the Blues play like they did at Elland Road last weekend, Leicester will take something from this game—that’s why I’m predicting 1-1 for the final result. Jorginho to score a penalty and Jamie Vardy to tie it up for the visitors.
Mike Malley: 3-1 Chelsea
These are two of the worst defenses in the Premier League this season right now, so I’m expecting to see some goals. The Foxes have been particularly porous at the back and selling Fofana to the Blues will not have helped with that in the short-term. I’d like to see a change in Chelsea’s front line, particularly with Armando Broja sitting unused on the bench, but I’m confident the attack can break down a struggling Leicester back line. I predict we’ll see Raz’s first goal in the famous blue shirt, as well.
What is your score prediction? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter!