LEICESTER CITY
VS
CHELSEA
King Power Stadium, Leicester.
29th April 2015,6:45 PM GMT
*****
Leicester City host league leaders Chelsea FC in the premier league on Wednesday evening.Both teams are looking for a win, although for entirely different purposes.Chelsea are 5 points away from mathematically sealing the top spot in the league , while a victory for Leicester City would see them leapfrog Aston-Villa into fifteenth place.Leicester City are currently on a four match winning streak, which has seen them climb out of the relegation places, meanwhile Chelsea are unbeaten in the league since Spurs defeated them 5-3 on January 1st this year.
Team News and Tactical Brief:
Leicester City
Leicester are sweating on the fitness of David Nugent, Jamie Vardy and Jeff Schlupp. Nugent and winger Schlupp missed Saturday’s 1-0 win at Burnley with calf injuries and will be assessed prior to kick-off.
Vardy, who scored the winner at Turf Moor, only played following an injection on his foot and will be monitored. Chris Wood is in the squad after being recalled from his loan at Ipswich.
Leicester have found form at the right time, having won their last four Premier League fixtures to climp out of the relegation zone.Chelsea will be wary of the threat Nigel Pearson’s men pose and Jose Mourinho will definitely be underestimating Wednesday’s opponents.The likes of Vardy, Nugent, King , Ullola and Cambiasso have been instrumental in turning around Leicester City’s fortunes.
Jamie Vardy and Ullola will be expected to spearhead Leiceseter City’s attack against the Blues with King , Drinkwater and Cambiasso all expected to start in Midfield.
Probable Starting XI (5-3-2)Schmeichel; Huth, Morgan, Wasilewski, Albrighton, Konchesky; Cambiasso, King, Drinkwater; Vardy, Ullola.
Chelsea
Diego Costa could return for Chelsea after missing four games with a hamstring injury. Mourinho was planning to make a late decision on whether to gamble by playing the striker, whose season has been punctuated by injury problems. Oscar could be missing after his collision with David Ospina in Sunday’s draw at the Emirates. Striker Loic Remy who has a calf injury is definitely out.
Mourinho will be looking to seal the Premier League trophy as early as possible and would go to Leicester with the expectation of picking up all three points.
The Blues are on a 13 game unbeaten run in the Premier League, having lost their last match at White Hart lane on January 1st this year. Mourinho;s side has been slammed for playing unattractive and boring football at the Emirates on Saturday and Mourinho will be looking to answer his critics on Wednesday.
Chelsea’s most in-form player is the current PFA Player Of The Year Eden Hazard and Nigel Pearson’s men will have to contain the Belgian, if they want to take anything off the league leaders.Eden Hazard is playing with an amazing fluidity at the moment and if the hosts contain him, the likes of Willian, Costa would be devoid of supply and the visitors could be left frustrated.
Chelsea’s defensive record has been the best throughout the country this season and although the central defensive pairing of Cahill and Terry have been outstanding alongwith the likes of Azpilicuetta, Ivanovic and Curtois , much of the credit for Chelsea’s defensive record has to be given to one man- Nemanja Matic.The midfielder has been instrumental in breaking down opposition attacks and starting new attacks for Chelsea this season.
Probable Starting XI (4-3-2-1)Curtois; Azpilicuetta, Terry, Cahill, Ivanovic; Matic, Ramires, Fabregas; Hazard, Willian; Costa.
Key Stats
- There have been just eight goals scored in Leicestera s last six Premier League home matches (five for the Foxes, three for their opponents).
- Chelseaa s Premier League unbeaten run now stands at 13 games (W9 D4) since their defeat to Spurs on New Yeara s Day. They can match their run of 14 unbeaten earlier in the season if they avoid defeat in this game.
- Jose Mourinho has seen his Chelsea side keep a clean sheet in 103 of his 191 Premier League games in charge (54%).
- Eden Hazard has created the most goalscoring chances (88) and embarked on the most dribbles (254) in the Premier League this season.
- Leicester City are looking to win five successive top-flight games for the first time since January 1964.
- Chelsea have won the last five Barclays premier League games in a row against Leicester City.
Key Player:
Eden Hazard (Chelsea FC)
The Belgian has been the standout performer for the Blues this season and having creasted the most number of chances this season.Hazard has scored 13 goals for Chelsea and has 8 assists to his name this season in the Barclays Premier League.He will be a constant threat for the Leicester City defence with his trickery and pace.
Predictions:
Leicester City 0-2 Chelsea
Leicester City are in a fantastic run of form at the moment, but all those wins have come from teams outside the top 7 and facing Chelsea will be a different game altogether.It will be a match with a lot of pace with the likes of Vardy, Ullola , Hazard and Willian all having fantastic speed.TheHardTackle expects it to end 2-0 in favour of the league leaders, Leicester City will be outdone by the shear amount of quality that Chelsea have within their ranks.
Blast From the Past
Chelsea recorded a thumping 4-0 win against Leicester City in 2004.