Leeds vs Chelsea: Match preview, betting tips and predictions

Chelsea midfielder Jorginho tries a half volley against Everton

Jorginho goes in flight as he tries to test the Everton defense in Chelsea's 2-0 win on Monday. (Photo credit: Premierleague.com)

Leeds vs Chelsea
Elland Road
1:30pm

Chelsea are in a very good place, since the hiring of Thomas Tuchel, the Stamford Bridge side have been solid defensively and full of promises upfront, leaving most people wondering if they’ll actually be in the title race if Tuchel had joined earlier in the season.

Leeds United are fun to watch, they don’t know how to defend and they don’t pretend.

They spend majority of their game time in the opposition half, they average 5 shots a game and with an average xG of 1.04 per game, no one wants them out of the premier league.

Chelsea beat Everton to ease into the top four and with three of the chasing pack having a game in hand, it’s imperative for Chelsea to cement their place in champions league places with a win over Marcelo Bielsa’s side on Saturday.

Leeds United didn’t make the most of their opportunities in their 2-0 loss against West Ham, leaving them on 11^th spot.

It is quite disappointing for all their forward plays and strong showing especially against top sides.

Leeds defender in action agaisnt west ham

Scoring goals is never the problem for Leeds United, they score a lot but they also ship as much if not more.

They won’t change their style, they will only hope to outscore their opponents and it’s left to be seen how that pans out against a side that hasn’t conceded more than twice since Tuchel took over.

Tuchel has consistently tried something different with different player options, a few regulars like club captain Cesar Azpilicueta, Edouard Mendy, Matteo Kovacic, and Jorginho have had to get used to playing with different men as Tuchel tries to find his best eleven;

There is a lot of pressure on him to play Christian Pulisic more often but at whose expense?

Timo Werner has failed to find his scoring form and Tammy Abraham is struggling to find fitness, leaving Olivier Giroud with a strong shout for a starting berth.

Leeds have some form of stability with squad selection, they have no problems on the injury front and the same eleven will most likely return, which should be of huge advantage.

Chelsea have won four of the last five between the two including a 3-1 success in December.

Chelsea should win this on paper if Leeds return as blunt up front as they did against the Hammers, Chelsea might blow them away especially if they’re as clinical as they have become of late.

The key battles will be from end to end and positional discipline will matter a lot, it’s unknown for now if the likes of Hudson Odoi and Hakim Ziyech will return, but Werner must start scoring, he wasn’t bought for near misses.

Chelsea will take to the pitch with one eye on the midweek engagement against Atletico Madrid, will that have a bearing on Chelsea’s gameplay?