Chelsea produced what was arguably the performance of the weekend on the opening day of the season, playing some scintillating football en route to beating Burnley 3-1 at Turf Moor.
The Blues’ second game is also against a newly-promoted team, as they face off against last Leicester City on Saturday, in their first game at Stamford Bridge this season. Manager Jose Mourinho is expected to go with the same XI that came out victorious on Monday night. As the saying goes, ‘Why make changes to a winning side?’.
Chelsea sit top of the table after Gameweek 1, and many expect them to remain there come the end of the season.
Mourinho once again has a fully-fit to choose from. Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas, who had debuts to remember for the Blues, will both provide the major attacking threats again. Andre Schurrle, scorer of Chelsea’s second goal on Monday, is once expected to start and keep Willian on the bench. Eden Hazard and Oscar will be looking to get off the mark as soon as possible. The goalkeeping position, subject to a lot of discussion lately, is once again expected to be filled by Thibaut Courtois.
There are though, a couple of changes that Chelsea may be tempted to make. With the game being played at home, there may be a debut for left-back Filipe Luis, who played regularly in pre-season but didn’t feature against Burnley. Whether Mourinho decides to play him from the start or bring him on after a comfortable lead has been established remains to be seen. Club legend Didier Drogba too, will surely be give a run-out at some point in the game in his first game back at the Bridge.
Opponents Leicester proved that they were no pushovers when they came from behind twice to earn a 2-2 draw against Everton. Argentine striker Leonardo Ulloa, who scored on debut, looks their best bet of netting a goal at Stamford Bridge. The Foxes’ manager Nigel Pearson knows though it will be his team’s defence, rather than attack, that will determine how well they fare at the home of one of the best teams in the league.
Here is the predicted Chelsea starting XI for the match:
Prediction:
Chelsea 4-0 Leicester City: If Chelsea get off to a fast start, this game could turn out to be a rout. The Foxes showed character to earn a point in their opening game, but the class of Chelsea all over the pitch should be too hot to handle for a team full of Premier League first-timers. The Blues look good to continue their winning start, and should they manage a big victory, they will surely remain at the top of the table.
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