Leicester vs Chelsea: Potential match-winners, tactics and line-ups as Danny Drinkwater and N’Golo Kante take on old club
Our friends at Football Whispers look at the battle of the past two Prem champs - given extra spice by the midfield duo switching to Stamford Bridge
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The last two teams to win the title meet each other this weekend as the Premier League returns from its international break.
Chelsea travel to the King Power Stadium to face Leicester City on Saturday, with kick off at 3pm.
There’s an added edge to the match with the Blues now owning two players key to the Foxes 2015/16 title success, with Danny Drinkwater’s deadline day arrival at Stamford Bridge seeing him reunited with N’Golo Kante, who made the most the previous summer.
Chelsea go into the match having won two and lost one in the Premier League so far this season, while Leicester have a victory and two defeats.
The corresponding fixture last season saw the away side take a 3-0 win back to London.
Our friends at Football Whispers have all you need to know ahead of the match.
Key battle: Morata v Maguire
It’s been a mixed start to life for Alvaro Morata at Chelsea.
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He has two goals and two assists, all with his head, and all at home.
But when he’s playing away from Stamford Bridge, he’s yet to register a goal or an assist and he missed sitters – both against Arsenal in the Community Shield and Tottenham in the Premier League.
He also missed a penalty during the shootout against Arsenal.
Perhaps it’s just Wembley he doesn’t like, but he’ll be keen to prove he can do it away from home too. However, it won’t be easy for him up against Harry Maguire, who is already looking an inspired signing for Leicester City this summer.
The 24-year-old’s form has been so good since arriving from Hull City that it earned him a call up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the International break that has just finished.
He’ll have to be at his best though to stop a Chelsea front line that, when it’s in the mood, is very dangerous indeed.
Potential match-winners
Both Jamie Vardy and Shinji Okazaki have two Premier League goals to their name in 2017/18 for Leicester, and they will be a handful for any backline.
For Chelsea, Morata is their top scorer in the Premier League so far this season, with both him and Marcos Alonso managing two goals.
The home side will have to be wary of the Spanish wing-back, who can be deadly from a free-kick at the edge of the box and got two goals in the corresponding fixture last season.
Although they’re yet to score yet this season, the other players in Chelsea’s front three – likely to be Willian and Pedro – will cause problems for any defence.
How the teams are likely to be set up
Leicester will be without Adrien Silva, who they cannot register until January after missing the transfer deadline by 14 seconds.
They are likely to line up in Craig Shakespeare’s preferred 4-4-2, as they have done so far this season.
The Foxes haven’t made many changes but Riyad Mahrez could be dropped after he touted himself without much success to other clubs on deadline day. That could see Demarai Grey come in and Marc Albrighton swap wings.
Although Chelsea switched to a 3-5-2 last away game, expect them to line up with their tried and tested 3-4-3.
Gary Cahill is still suspended after being sent off against Burnley, while Eden Hazard could be in contention after playing his first minutes this season while on international duty with Belgium.
New arrival Drinkwater is unlikely to start after missing the start of the season with a groin injury.
Key stats heading into the game
The two sides have faced each other 109 times before, with Chelsea coming out victorious on 54 occasions, Leicester winning 25 of their meetings, and the other 30 ending in draws.
Chelsea have only lost once to Leicester in all competitions since February 2001 (11 wins, one draw, one defeat).
Only one player (Pedro Obiang) has averaged more dribbles than Wilfred Ndidi’s 2.7 per game in the Premier League this season.
Leicester’s 39 per cent average possession is the second-lowest in the Premier League so far this season – West Bromwich Albion have averaged 38.4 per cent. Chelsea’s 51 per cent is seventh.
Chelsea have the worst discipline so far in the league with eight yellow cards and two reds in three matches.
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