Chelsea will kick off the 8th game week with a mouth-watering clash against reigning Premier League champions Leicester City. The two Champions of the last two years respectively will face each other in the early kick-off as they begin the proceedings after a long international break.
Both the teams have had a topsy-turvy run since the beginning of the season. Chelsea started off well before losing form drastically and looked more and more like last year. But under Antonio Conte, they seem to have regained the ability to eke out wins even on one of their bad days. They are currently in the 7th position having collected 13 points from 7 games but will be desperate to get back in the Top 4 spots.
Leicester, on the other hand, have a lot of thinking to do on how to get about their season. They have looked at home in a relatively easy Champions League group but have struggled to turn up in the matches following their European exertions. This will be an important match for the Foxes as they would like to gauge their performance against the Blues as it will give them a fair idea of where they stand in terms of last season. Leicester can no longer go about their swashbuckling ways and need to be calculative this season.
T4O’S PREDICTED CHELSEA LINE-UP VS LEICESTER CITY (3-4-3)
DEFENCE
Thibaut Courtois will be in goal and the Belgian will look to regain his slightly battered confidence. Conte used a 3-man back last time out and after a 2-0 win might loathe changing it. This will probably see Azpilicueta, Cahill and Luiz lining up in the 3-man defence. John Terry is expected to be fit but it is to be seen whether he is risked in front of the pace of Leicester City’s attackers. Marcos Alonso will look to get another game in the left wing-back spot with surprise selection Victor Moses getting a chance on the other side after a solid showing in the last match. Ivanovic provides a further option.
MIDFIELD
N’Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic will most likely line up in central midfield and given Leicester’s pace on the counter, they will play an important role in shielding the backline and breaking up attacks.
ATTACK
Eden Hazard picks himself, despite being inconsistent this season. On the opposite side, Willian is a safe bet while the controversial and the supremely talented Diego Costa will lead the line for the Blues.
