Prediction: Chelsea vs Leicester

Prediction: Chelsea win

Best Odds: 7/10

Bookmaker: bet365

As we start to really settle into the Premier League season for real now, it’s going to be fascinating to see how quickly the contenders are separated from the pretenders. Two teams who are looking to prove themselves as legitimate threats are Chelsea and Leicester City, both of whom didn’t really get off to ideal starts last weekend. With that being said, they’ve both got young and hungry managers that are dying to try and convince the masses that they are the right man for the job.

Chelsea

The transfer ban at Stamford Bridge certainly changed a few things over the summer transfer window, as the Blues had to come to terms with the fact that they weren’t really able to strengthen in the kind of way they would’ve wanted. They looked good in the Super Cup earlier in the week but you have to wonder how much the loss is going to impact them, and in equal measure, you have to wonder what the future holds for this team as they attempt to make another push for the top four and potentially even a trophy.

Team News

Pulisic and Kante both failed to start the game against United, but should feature here after making a strong impression during the Super Cup loss to Liverpool.

Leicester

A lot of fans were suggesting that Leicester could make a push for seventh this season, and while that seems entirely possible, it also comes across as being a little bit premature. Brendan Rodgers has the potential to do some good things with the Foxes, but the momentum has certainly been wearing off after his strong end to last season’s run. They’ve brought in a few notable names, but in their PL opener, they looked like they’ve got a while to go yet before they really hit that next level.

Team News

Mendy is the big injury concern for Leicester, but he wasn’t expected to feature in the starting XI even if he was fit. Rodgers is expected to name a similar, if not identical, team to the one that drew with Wolves last week.

Factors to Consider

• The game will be played at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge.
• Chelsea lost their opening Premier League game of the season 4-0 vs Manchester United.
• Leicester drew their opening Premier League game of the season 0-0 vs Wolves.
• Chelsea lead the overall head to head standings 56-26 with 32 draws.

Conclusion

While Leicester could do some damage in and around the top eight this season, we don’t think they’ll have enough to stop Frank Lampard’s men from picking up their first win under the new competitive regime. The Foxes are going to take a couple of games to settle into the season, as was evident from their first game, and this feels like the match where Lampard really announces himself to the world as a legitimate Premier League manager. If he can’t do that, the panic may set in.

Prediction: Chelsea win

Best Odds: 7/10

Bookmaker: bet365