Leeds v CHELSEA: Preview

Date: Saturday 13^th March 2021

Venue: Elland Road

Kick-off: 12:30 GMT

Today’s early kick-off sees us travel to West Yorkshire, to take on Leeds.

We’re coming into today’s game, unbeaten in 11 and with wins against Liverpool and Everton behind us, and whilst everyone beats Liverpool at Anfield, the performance against Everton was our most convincing win in a long time. It was also a win that has left us in 4^th spot and with a 2-point gap over West Ham. Clubs below us still have games in hand though, so we can’t afford to any slip ups.

Leeds, on the other hand, have just one win in five league games, losing four of their last five, including their last two against Villa and West Ham without scoring, and sit 11^th in the table at the start of the day.

Chelsea have only won half of their 14 away matches in the Premier League this season though, and this is at Elland Road, so probably best not to be too cocky going into this one.

MANAGER’S VIEWS

Going into today’s game, Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa, says “They (Chelsea) are in a positive dynamic in terms of results and they have a confidence in how they manage the ball. We have to try to defend well and attack better than they do.”

Thomas Tuchel, meanwhile, says “We are very happy with what we see and the results. We will never forget that in football you need luck, that is also a big part of it. But the atmosphere and support, the quality of the group, the bond, and how they play is fantastic. This is the base for any development. We did not think too much about what possible. There was no time to overthink and maybe that was good.

When you’re a coach in the Premier League, like I said at the beginning, you have the challenge of facing all these big clubs with a big reputation. There are big teams out there with big history, strong players, strong history. Bielsa is one of the most fascinating managers out there and a big personality. Like with any game, I don’t put the pressure on myself. I don’t need to out-tactic Marcelo Bielsa. We will focus on us: how to attack, how to defend. His style of play is very unique, very intense. We see it in all the data from them, this seasona and last season. So it will be a very intense game. There will be a lot of intense runs from Leeds, their midfield is flexible, and they are very attacking.

They try to win every game – they have only had two draws – so they are brave and have courage. They trust their physicality so we have to match it.”

SQUAD NEWS

For Leeds, Pascal Struijk, Pablo Hernandez and Adam Forshaw remain out, whilst Jamie Shackleton is back.

For Chelsea, Thiago Silva (thigh) and Tammy Abraham (ankle) are both out.

TEAMS

LEEDS (Possible line-up): Meslier; Ayling, Llorente, Cooper, Dallas; Harrison, Klich, Phillips, Rodrigo, Raphinha; Bamford

CHELSEA (Possible line-up): Mendy; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger; James, Jorginho, Kante, Chilwell; Werner, Havertz, Mount

LAST SEASON

N/A

CURRENT FORM (PL)

LEEDS: WLLWLL

CHELSEA: WWDDWW

OTHER STUFF

• Chelsea have won three consecutive games against Leeds United in all competitions.
• Leeds’ only win in the past nine meetings came in the Premier League in 2002.
• Leeds have lost five of their past seven Premier League games.
• Leeds haven’t scored in their last two games.
• Leeds are without a win in all six Premier League home games against teams in the top half of the table.
• Leeds have failed to score in the first half of any of their past five league fixtures.
• Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 11 matches in all competitions, conceding just two goals.
• Chelsea have won five of their last six competitive away fixtures.
• Chelsea have kept clean sheets in their last 3 games.

PREDICTION

BBC Sport: Leeds 2-1 Chelsea

Sky Sports: Leeds 1-3 Chelsea

Sportsmole: Leeds 1-2 Chelsea