On Sunday, fifth-placed Chelsea welcomes 19th-placed Leicester City to Stamford Bridge for a Premier League clash that is anticipated to be a lopsided contest.
Nolan James Mar 9
The last time these two teams met in late November, Chelsea secured a 2-1 victory at the King Power Stadium. However, the scoreline was somewhat deceptive, as Jordan Ayew converted a 95th-minute penalty for Leicester after Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernández had already given the Blues a commanding 2-0 lead.
Chelsea's campaign has been inconsistent. They started the season strongly, winning ten of their first 16 Premier League matches. However, a poor run of form—just three wins in their last 11 games—has left them scrambling to secure a Champions League spot, a position that once seemed secure.
Cup Competitions
The Blues endured early exits in both domestic cups. They crashed out of the League Cup in the Fourth Round with a 2-0 defeat at Newcastle, despite previously thrashing Barrow 5-0. Similarly, in the FA Cup, they dispatched Morecambe 5-0 before suffering a 2-1 loss to Brighton.
Europa Conference League Ambitions
Chelsea’s best shot at silverware this season lies in the Europa Conference League, where anything less than a trophy would be considered a disappointment given their squad strength.
Maresca’s side dominated the group stage, winning all six matches against Gent (4-2), Panathinaikos (4-1), Noah (8-0), Heidenheim (2-0), Astana (3-1), and Shamrock Rovers (5-1). They continued their European run with a 2-1 first-leg victory over FC Kobenhavn in the Round of 16.
Leicester’s return to the Premier League has been challenging, as they find themselves five points behind 17th-placed Wolves with little sign of improvement.
Managerial Changes
The Foxes’ failure to strengthen their squad in the summer under Steve Cooper has proven costly. Cooper was dismissed after just 15 matches, having secured only three wins. His replacement, Ruud van Nistelrooy, has fared little better, also winning just three of his 16 matches in charge.
Cup Campaigns
Leicester’s struggles extended to cup competitions. They were eliminated from the League Cup in a 5-2 thrashing by Manchester United, ironically under Van Nistelrooy, who was serving as United’s interim manager at the time. Their FA Cup run ended controversially in the Fourth Round with a 2-1 defeat to United, as Harry Maguire’s late winner would have been disallowed for offside if VAR had been in use.
Chelsea come into this match on the back of two consecutive victories—2-1 against Kobenhavn and a dominant 4-0 win over Southampton, where Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto, Levi Colwill, and Marc Cucurella found the net.
Before that, the Blues suffered a late 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa, following back-to-back losses against Brighton in both the Premier League (3-0) and FA Cup (2-1).
Leicester are in dreadful form, having lost their last five matches.
Their most recent setback was a 2-0 defeat at West Ham, where Tomas Soucek opened the scoring before Jannik Vestergaard put the ball into his own net.
Prior to that, the Foxes endured heavy defeats against Brentford (4-0), Arsenal (2-0), Manchester United (2-1), and Everton (4-0).
Chelsea head into this match as overwhelming favorites. Leicester have won just three of their 16 matches under Van Nistelrooy, while the Blues boast a significantly stronger squad.
The league table highlights the gap in quality—Chelsea sit fifth with 46 points from 27 matches, whereas Leicester languish in 19th with just 17 points.
Leicester’s away form has been particularly poor, with only eight points collected from 13 matches on the road. Meanwhile, Chelsea have the sixth-best home record in the league, averaging two goals per game at Stamford Bridge—a trend likely to continue in this fixture.
Moreover, Chelsea have dominated recent meetings, winning six and drawing one of their last seven encounters against Leicester in all competitions. Expect a comfortable win for the Blues.
