Chelsea VS Leicester City Football Match Score 27 Aug 2022
Chelsea and Leicester City square off at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon with both teams having endured indifferent starts to the new Premier League campaign. While the Blues have collected just four points from their opening three fixtures, the Foxes have posted just one draw, leaving the clubs in 12th and 19th position in the standings. The transfer saga involving Wesley Fofana is inevitably going to dominate the build-up to this match with Chelsea attempting to sign the defender for a fee of at least £70m.
Nevertheless, both teams could do without the distractions given that they have recorded just one victory between them from their first triple-header. From Chelsea’s perspective, everything was heading in the right direction after a 1-0 win at Everton and when leading Tottenham Hotspur deep into add-on time of their London derby. However, a last-gasp equaliser from their rivals was followed by a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Leeds United, their defeat being deserved despite claims on the contrary by Thomas Tuchel.
Although Tuchel will likely add another three players to his first-team squad over the next week, this now feels like a Chelsea side very much in transition and who are yet to find a solution to their issues with scoring goals. While injuries in midfield have affected them, that cannot be used as an excuse for Kai Havertz not making an impression in the final third, with only Raheem Sterling performing anywhere near to his ability in that area of the pitch.
As far as Leicester are concerned, they have been heavily reliant on James Maddison, who has netted in each of their games against Brentford, Arsenal and Southampton. Eight goals have been conceded at the other end, however, and it threatens to undermine anything that Leicester produce going forward as they bid to move away from the bottom end of the table. Even if it means accepting a marginally lower fee for Fofana, the East Midlands outfit need to resolve the situation to avoid a scenario where Brendan Rodgers is scrambling around in the transfer market for a suitable replacement.
Fofana will remain out of contention for Leicester, while Rodgers has a decision to make regarding Youri Tielemans as he continues to be linked with a departure. The Belgian may be recalled in place of Maddison, who Rodgers says “felt a twinge” in training on Wednesday. Harvey Barnes could keep his spot in the team after coming through 90 minutes against Stockport County in midweek on the back of a knee injury.
If Rodgers switches to a back three, Caglar Soyuncu will return to the starting XI with Ayoze Perez likely to be the player to drop out. After recovering from a knee issue, Mateo Kovacic will feature on the substitutes’ bench, but N’Golo Kante is a definite absentee with a hamstring injury. Kalidou Koulibaly serves a one-match ban with Marc Cucurella likely to drop into the back three and Ben Chilwell returning to the starting lineup against his former club. Ruben Loftus-Cheek could replace Conor Gallagher in central midfield, but Havertz is expected to retain his place in attack ahead of Armando Broja, who is likely to feature in the squad after injury.
Chelsea will be desperate to return to winning ways when they welcome Leicester City to Stamford Bridge on Saturday. The 2022/23 Premier League season resumes this weekend with Gameweek 4, with the latest set of fixtures beginning with Manchester United’s trip to St. Mary’s to take on Southampton. The goal rush segment after the lunch-time kick-off will feature several matches, with Chelsea playing hosts to Leicester City at Stamford Bridge in one of the games.
Chelsea started the 2022/23 Premier League season with a hard-fought win over Everton. But things have taken a turn for the worse since then, with Tottenham Hotspur twice coming from a goal down to hold Thomas Tuchel’s charges to a 2-2 draw before they suffered a 3-0 defeat to Leeds United last weekend. The winless run has dropped Chelsea outside the top half.
On the other hand, Leicester City’s fortunes have been even worse, with the Foxes managing only one point from their first three games. Brendan Rodgers is facing the heat after his club’s lack of spending in the summer transfer window. And after starting the season with a 2-2 draw, Leicester suffered back-to-back defeats to Arsenal and Southampton in the last two fixtures.
Thomas Tuchel has greeted a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of the visit of Leicester City. On Saturday, the Chelsea manager will be bereft of the services of three first-team players due to suspension and injuries.
Kalidou Koulibaly is the latest absentee for Chelsea after his dismissal against Leeds United last weekend. The Senegalese international has joined N’Golo Kante (hamstring) on the sidelines, while Marcos Alonso is unavailable as he looks to finalise his departure from Chelsea. But there is some good news as Mateo Kovacic and Armando Broja are available to take on Leicester City.
But neither player will make the starting eleven, with Tuchel likely to ease them back into action. So in Kovacic’s stead, Ruben Loftus-Cheek will likely start alongside Jorginho in the middle of the park after a sub-par showing by Conor Gallagher last weekend.
Meanwhile, Kai Havertz will continue spearheading the Chelsea attack against Leicester City, with Broja being an option off the bench. Mason Mount and Raheem Sterling will complete Chelsea’s offensive unit, with the duo desperately needing to up the ante in the final third.
Koulibaly’s absence means Marc Cucurella might drop into the central defensive unit, lining up alongside Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueta. Ben Chilwell will thus return to the starting eleven, with Reece James taking up a more advanced role on the right flank after starting as a centre-back in the last two games.
