Chelsea will entertain Leicester City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday looking to close the gap with Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table. The Pensioners have responded well to their 2-1 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers by winning two consecutive matches in the league since then. However, they will come up against a dangerous Leicester side which has looked a real threat going forward under Claude Puel this season.
The West London outfit could line up in a 4-3-3 formation with Maurizio Sarri expected to opt for his strongest starting XI to see off the challenge against the Foxes.
4-3-3 Chelsea Predicted Lineup To Face Leicester City
Defence
Kepa Arrizabalaga will start in between the sticks as Chelsea’s number one keeper this weekend after keeping a clean sheet at home versus Bournemouth in midweek. The Spanish shot-stopper has put in some impressive displays at the back for the Pensioners over the past few weeks and would be expected to keep the Foxes attackers at bay on Saturday.
The centre-half partnership between David Luiz and Antonio Rudiger should continue at the heart of Sarri’s defence as they look to neutralise the threat of the Leicester forwards.
Cesar Azpilicueta will once again operate as the right-back as he tries to join in on the attack down the right wing. Marcos Alonso will hope to do the same down the left side of the Chelsea defence. Claude Puel’s team have shown in the past that they can score against any side on any given day with both Jamie Vardy and James Maddison in their side, so it will be difficult for Sarri’s defenders to cope with their threat on Saturday.
Midfield
The Chelsea boss might choose to go for the midfield trio of Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho and N’Golo Kante as they look to win the 50-50 battles in midfield. Ruben Loftus-Cheek should be part of the Pensioners bench alongside Ross Barkley as they could both come on during the match if needed.
Attack
Eden Hazard will spearhead the home team’s attack up top with Willian and Pedro providing support from the wide areas. Sarri’s decision to play Hazard down the middle has worked wonders in recent weeks with Chelsea winning their last three matches in domestic competitions.
