After the disappointing draw against FC Zenit in the UEFA Champions League, Chelsea will face off Leeds United today in the EPL. It’s the home match for the blues as they will play at Stamford Bridge against the Bielsa boys.
Chelsea slipped to third place from the top on the last Saturday. They lost to another London side team, West Ham United. The recent form of the Tuchel boys in all competitions is not going well. They have won just one match in their last four games. Moreover, they conceded eight goals in those games. So, it becomes a matter of concern for Thomas Tuchel.
On the other side, Leeds United are also having a difficult time in the English Premier League. They have won just one match in their last six games in the EPL. They have drawn against Brentford in their most recent match. However, Leeds United are standing in 15th place in the league table.
Team News
Both Chelsea and Leeds United have several injury issues in their squad. Jorginho and N’Golo Kante missed the match due to injury against Zenit in the Champions League. As a result, Chelsea suffered for their midfield. So, the Italian midfielder Jorginho will play today to ease the midfield problems for the blues despite having back pain. But Mateo Kovacic will miss the game as he tested positive for the Covid-19.
Chelsea will miss the service of the French midfielder, N’Golo Kante, because of his knee injury. But Thomas Tuchel is hopeful to get him in the next match. Moreover, the blues will not get Trevoh Chalobah and Ben Chilwell against Leeds United.
On the other side, Leeds United will also miss several players today due to injuries. Rodrigo, Kalvin Phillips, Liam Cooper, Patrick Bamford, and Robin Koch will miss the match, Leeds have confirmed on their official website.
Manager’s Thoughts
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel didn’t hide his disappointments for the last few games. He said,
West Ham was in the first half a very good game, the second half an okay match, but a terrible result for us, and at Zenit, we had a lot of changes and let a win slip through our fingers at the very last minute. Let’s be honest, if you have the lead four times in two matches, and you leave with one point and six goals conceded, it’s not the moment to look away and pretend nothing’s happening.
Leeds boss Bielsa also talked to the media ahead of the game against the blues. He said,
Each of the games we are going to come up against, we face teams where points are at stake. Whether that be drawing or winning, we will prepare ourselves with a lot of hopes. The hopes and desires are increased because they are very big opponents. To be able to get points in those games has added value. We’re going to go into each of these games with desire.
