Chelsea Hope to Bounce Back with Leicester Visit

After being mauled 3-0 by Leeds United last weekend, Chelsea would be hoping to bounce back with the visit of Leicester City, who themselves

have been far from impressive so far this season 

Chelsea and Leicester City square off at Stamford Bridge this 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.

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.

Reigning Premier League champions, Manchester City will be looking to return to winning ways when they welcome Crystal Palace to the Etihad Stadium this afternoon.

The Citizens were involved in an entertaining six-goal thriller against Newcastle United last weekend, while the Eagles head into this contest after claiming back-to-back wins across the league and EFL Cup.

The Magpies went into half time 2-1 ahead before former City academy graduate Kieran Trippier fired the hosts two goals in front after the break with a trademark free kick. However, two strikes within three second-half minutes from Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva restored parity for the reigning top-flight champions.

While Pep Guardiola will have been pleased to have seen his side rescue a point, the Spanish boss will feel that his team missed the chance to move further ahead of title challengers Liverpool, who are yet to win this term and suffered a 2-1 defeat away at Manchester United on Monday. Five points currently separate City from Jurgen Klopp’s men, while the Citizens are now two points behind new league leaders Arsenal.

Since last weekend’s draw with Newcastle, City played out the same result in a charity friendly against Barcelona at Camp Nou on Wednesday in honour of former Barca goalkeeper and coach Juan Carlos Unzue, who has been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Both sides had their star names on show, and it was Julian Alvarez, Cole Palmer and Riyad Mahrez who all got themselves on the scoresheet for the Citizens, with the latter netting a 99th-minute equaliser from the penalty spot.

City now turn their attention back to the Premier League and will welcome their return to the Etihad Stadium where they have won each of their last five top-flight games, scoring 20 goals in the process.

However, the Citizens will be wary of the threat that Palace are likely to pose, as the Eagles secured a surprise 2-0 win at the Etihad last season. Interestingly, City’s only two Premier League defeats in their last 54 matches to have kicked off a 3:00pm have come against Palace, including last season’s loss and a 3-2 defeat in December 2018.

After Ollie Watkins had put the visitors into an early lead, a brace from star man Wilfried Zaha– who has now netted three goals in as many league games – and a strike from Jean-Philippe Mateta helped the hosts turn the game on its head to secure their first top-flight win of the new campaign.

Patrick Viera’s men have since progressed from the second round of the EFL Cup after beating third-tier outfit Oxford United 2-0 away from home on Tuesday, with Odsonne Edouard and Luka Milivojevic both on the scoresheet in the final 20 minutes.

Palace lacked consistency last season, securing back-to-back victories across all competitions only four times in the 2021-22 campaign, but Vieira will be hoping that his side can put aside their patchy form and build on their positive momentum in the coming weeks.

A trip to the Etihad is viewed as a daunting prospect for many teams, but Palace have enjoyed success away at Man City in recent years, claiming seven points from their last four Premier League visits.

The Eagles were one of only four teams who City failed to beat in the Premier League last season and they were the only top-flight side who the champions failed to score against in 2021-22.

Palace, who currently sit ninth in the table and three points behind City in second, could become only the second team, after Man United, to win three away league matches against Citizens manager Pep Guardiola if they come out on top again this weekend.