Chelsea will welcome Leicester City at home on Sunday hoping to make amends for their poor start to the season.
The London side comes into the game on the back of an impressive display against Liverpool in the UEFA Super Cup. However, the West London giants ended up losing the match on penalties which could be like a blow to Frank Lampard’s Chelsea side. The Chelsea boss would now have to find a way to get the best out of the team as they would be expected to dominate Leicester despite the improvement made by the Foxes in recent times. The West London outfit is expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation and match Leicester stride for stride as three points would be expected from Chelsea young guns at home. We evaluate Chelsea’s possible 4-2-3 1 line-up against Leicester City on Sunday.
Goalkeeper
Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga would start in goal as Lampard’s first-choice goalkeeper as they host Leicester City on Sunday. He conceded 6 goals in 2 matches against Manchester United and Liverpool but he’s expected to keep his place in Lampard’s starting eleven nevertheless.
Defense
The Center-back pair of Andreas Christensen and Kurt Zouma will start at the heart of the defense for the Blues as they aim to put in a more improved performance defensively against the visiting Leicester side. Chelsea’s skipper Cesar Azpilicueta will play in the right-back position while Spanish left-back would replace Emerson Palmieri on the left-back position. The Brazilian left-back is expected to be given a rest after competing for 120 minutes against Liverpool. Antonio Rudiger is still a doubt for the Leicester contest as he would not be in the race to be fit for the Premier League match at Stamford Bridge.
Midfield
The duo of Ross Barkley and Jorginho would be expected to start in the midfield as both talents sit at the base of Chelsea’s midfield. The talented trio of Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic and former Barcelona star Pedro Rodriguez are expected to feature ahead of them as part of Lampard’s attack as Callum Hudson Odoi is still out injured. The three players mentioned above impressed in midweek and could spark up a revival for the Chelsea side at home against the Leicester City side. Lampard would be banking on the quality they bring to the side as three points is inevitable for the Blues. The likes of N’golo Kante and Croatia’s Mateo Kovacic might be rested against the Foxes following their heavy involvement in the Super Cup match. They will likely start on the bench and may be called upon if required in the contest.
Attack
Tammy Abraham may well lead the charge for goals despite missing the decisive spot-kick against Liverpool in the Super Cup match. If he is handed a starting berth he will be desperate to amends with a goal as he was compared to Belgian star Romelu Lukaku following his penalty miss on Wednesday as Lukaku did in the Super Cup against German giants Bayern Munich in 2013, while Olivier Giroud will get some rest after leading the line against Liverpool in midweek following the trough duel between both sides.
Chelsea’s Possible Starting Eleven Against Leicester City
Kepa; Azpilicueta,Zouma,Christensen,Alonso;Barkley,Jorginho;Pedro,Mount,Pulisic;Tammy.
