Game Week 28 Predictions: Chelsea to beat Leicester

Chelsea aims to break into the top four with a win over struggling Leicester at Stamford Bridge. The Foxes seek a vital result to avoid relegation.

Chelsea's season could get a good lift with a win over Leicester as it will take them up to fourth and they can springboard from there but, will Leicester let them? (Photo credit: GOAL)

 Chelsea vs Leicester

Stamford Bridge Stadium

3:00 pm

Chelsea saw Manchester City lose yesterday; it means a draw is enough for the Blues to break into the top four, usurping the champions, but only a win will keep pace with Nottingham Forest in third.

A top four finish will represent a significant success in Chelsea’s faltering season. The Blues went from being a title contender to fighting for the top four, and while they’re well placed to achieve this feat, they could well fall completely out of European football conversation.

Leicester City is clearly the underdogs here, and even a draw would be celebrated like a win. They’ve been poor of late and don’t even know where goals will come from; if the Foxes don’t start winning, they will find themselves in the Championship sooner than the end of the season.

Wolves played out a 1-1 draw against Everton yesterday; the precious point has now taken them six points above the drop zone, and that looks healthy considering the fact that the trio of Southampton, Leicester, and the Tractor Boys don’t have it in them to grind out wins.

Leicester City has lost their last five games, and they only managed to score in one of those five—the one at Old Trafford in the FA Cup—while Chelsea halted a run of three straight losses with back-to-back wins in the league and in the Europa Conference League on Thursday.

Chelsea cannot afford to drop points here; it’s a golden opportunity to usurp Manchester City and close the gap on Nottingham Forest. The goal as things stand for Enzo Maresca and his Chelsea side is to win the Conference League and return to the Champions League, which can happen even with a fifth position.

The Chelsea defence is a fragile one; Leicester can take advantage of the uncertainties in how Chelsea defends, but for a side that struggles in front of goal, how do they go about it? 39-year-old Jamie Vardy is rolling back the years; can he hurt Chelsea again?

Chelsea will be without Romeo Lavia, who continues to recover from his muscle injury, but he could be available for their next game; Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu are also unavailable while Noni Madueke will be assessed ahead of kickoff.

Ricardo Pereira is back in training, but this fixture could come too soon for him; the other absentees are the ones already ruled out for the season, while everyone else is available to Ruud Van Nistelrooy, who must start winning if he wants to stay at the top.

Verdict: Chelsea to win