Premier League | Gameweek 12

Nov 23, 2024 at 12.30pm UK

King Power Stadium

Leicestervs.Chelsea

Match preview

What kind of reception Maresca gets from the King Power fans is going to be a big topic on Saturday. Even though he led the Foxes to the Championship title and top-flight football, the 44-year-old's style of play didn't sit well with every supporter during their rough patches.

However, Maresca has been doing a great job as manager at Chelsea. They've unexpectedly positioned themselves inside the top three of the Premier League table, even if they are only above Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Brighton & Hove Albion thanks to a superior goal difference.

Chelsea's performance has been slightly below par recently, with just one victory from their last four Premier League matches. However, three of those games were against Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal, who were undone by a fine Pedro Neto leveller in a 1-1 draw on matchday 11.

As it happens, Arsenal were the last team to beat Chelsea in an away Premier League match back in April. Since that 5-0 defeat at the Emirates, Chelsea have scored in eight consecutive away matches, and 12 goals scored on their travels is the best in the division so far this season.

The West London giants have traditionally found it tough to get back to winning ways after a hiatus. They've only won one of their last seven games immediately after an international break, with that victory coming away to Bournemouth back in September.

Cooper's been doing a great job of keeping Leicester in the Premier League since Maresca took the Foxes back into the big time. Even if the results just before the two-week break weren't great, he's done a good job overall.

Leicester haven't won any of their recent tournaments. They lost to Manchester United twice (once in the EFL Cup), Nottingham Forest and almost lost to Ipswich Town, who they were denied victory by with virtually the last kick of the contest.

But they've got 10 points from 33, which is good enough for 15th place in the Premier League table – three clear of Crystal Palace in the relegation zone. Plus, the Foxes haven't suffered back-to-back home losses in the 2024-25 campaign.

Chelsea are on a roll, scoring goals for fun on the road. Leicester, on the other hand, have scored in all six of their King Power matches in all tournaments this season. The only home game in which they struck more than one goal was their 4-0 win against Tranmere Rovers in the EFL Cup.

What's more, Leicester haven't beaten Chelsea since Youri Tielemans's amazing goal in the 2020-21 FA Cup final. They've lost five and drawn one of their last six games against the Blues, who beat Leicester 4-2 in the FA Cup quarter-finals last season.

Recent Performance

Leicester City Premier League form:LWWLDL

Leicester City form (all competitions):WWLLDL

Chelsea Premier League form:WDLWDD

Chelsea form (all competitions):WWLDWD

Team News

The Stamford Bridge medical room has welcomed back its most frequent occupant this week. Maresca has confirmed that the unlucky Reece James has picked up a minor hamstring problem and will be unavailable for the trip to Leicester.

However, the Blues boss also told reporters that James was the only injured player in his ranks. It seems that Romeo Lavia will be OK after a hamstring scare, while Cole Palmer, Jadon Sancho and Levi Colwill have all been pictured in training this week after their own concerns.

On top of that, it looks like Wesley Fofana and Malo Gusto are good to go after pulling out of their respective France teams. And Lavia's availability could be a game-changer, given how well Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez have been playing in South America.

Chelsea aren't the only team facing a new fitness issue, but Leicester's is much more serious. Attacking midfielder Abdul Fatawu hurt his ACL while playing for Ghana and is expected to miss the rest of the season.

Fatawu is just one of five attacking concerns for Saturday's hosts, who are also worried about Jamie Vardy (back), Bobby Decordova-Reid (Achilles) and Jordan Ayew (knee). On the bright side, Patson Daka (ankle) is on track to be available.

The only players definitely out with injuries for the Foxes are Ricardo Pereira (thigh) and Jakub Stolarczyk (ankle). However, Facundo Buonanotte will miss one game due to picking up his fifth yellow card of the season at Old Trafford.

Possible starting lineup

Leicester City possible starting lineup:

Hermansen; Justin, Faes, Vestergaard, Kristiansen; Winks, Ndidi, Soumare; El Khannouss, Edouard, Mavididi

Chelsea possible starting lineup:

Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Lavia; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Jackson