Leeds United vs Chelsea – Preview, Lineups, Score Prediction | OneFootball

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Leeds United will play host to Chelsea in the Premier League at Elland Road this evening in what is a coming together of two sides who produced spirited displays at the weekend.

The Whites, after failing to muster a single shot on target in the first half at Manchester City, came back strong in the second half to drag themselves back to equal terms, before a moment of individual brilliance from Phil Foden clinched the game for the hosts 3-2.

Though Leeds benefited from defensive errors, a lot of the change in their fortunes in the second half was prompted by Daniel Farke’s tactical shifts and a more assertive approach to the game.

Farke shifted to a 3-5-2, which not only limited Manchester City to a single shot between half-time and the 88th minute, but also forced the defensive errors through the two up front.

The game of two halves highlighted the virtues of being proactive, with suggestions the fans will now have more faith in Farke after the second half performance.

Former Leeds star Michael Bridges was left impressed by the formation and feels that it should continue being deployed against Chelsea and Liverpool, while Whites legend Jon Newsome came out defending Farke and blamed the players for individual errors.

Sam Allardyce recently made an insightful comment when he said that Leeds have a good squad despite not possessing any standout players. It appears to be a fair assessment and indicative that Leeds cannot rely on individual brilliance.

Farke has to begin risking heavy losses to start winning games again. Leeds have lost six of their last seven games, with only a win at home against West Ham United interspersing the run.

The last time relegation was decided on goal difference was the 2007/08 campaign, with Leeds’ previous spell in the Premier League more illustrative of what will be required come May.

In the 2021/22 season, Leeds and Burnley went into the final matchday level on points, with the Whites having an inferior goal difference. It ultimately would prove immaterial with Leeds winning and Burnley losing. The following season Leeds were relegated despite possessing a better goal difference than the 15th and 16th placed teams.

With Liverpool to come after the fixture against Chelsea, Farke and Leeds will desperately want to have something to show for from the current stretch of games. They have had one half of football as a moral victory, but they will want at least a point from the three games to carry into the second half of the season as ultimately, that will be what counts once the dust settles.

Chelsea will be buzzing, not only because of their derby draw against Arsenal, but also because they are only a week out from a 3-0 thrashing of Barcelona.

The Blues are third, level with Aston Villa on 24 points, and are being spoken of as genuine title contenders after the draw against the Gunners. Chelsea played close to an hour with ten men, managed to score after Moises Caicedo’s red card, and held on for more than 30 minutes after Mikel Merino equalised in the 59th minute.

Chelsea, playing after Manchester City and Arsenal, and will not want to take their eye off the ball, especially given the enforced changes they will have to make for the Leeds fixture.

This is a fixture Chelsea do not like winning, having won only six times out of 48 times of asking, with only their win rate against Sheffield Wednesday being lower, but Leeds have an equally poor recent record with only a single win forthcoming in their last nine attempts.

Enzo Maresca has stated that Cole Palmer is in contention for a long-awaited return to action, though he must be managed, but he will be without the suspended Caicedo. Reece James is unlikely to start, with the game coming too soon after the exertions on Sunday. Daniel James and Anton Stach remain doubts for Leeds.

Recent Form (league)

Leeds United: LLLLW Chelsea: DWWWL

Key Men

Leeds United

Jayden Bogle was excellent against Manchester City and did a commendable job against Jeremy Doku. He will want to have a repeat of that while also hoping to contribute going forward against Chelsea.

Lukas Nmecha was tireless in the first half against the Cityzens and dangerous in the second in partnership with Calvert-Lewin. Chelsea should expect more of the same if Farke is brave enough to field the duo in tandem.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin turned the game on its head after coming on and showed how much of a threat he can be if he is not left isolated. Calvert-Lewin will hope to play with a partner up front, as that looks to be the best way to bring the best out of him and Nmecha.

Chelsea

Enzo Fernandez will take on more responsibility without Caicedo and James and look to guide his younger team-mates through the game.

Estevao has turned in dazzling displays and he might get further joy against Leeds’ shaky looking left flank.

Cole Palmer will be itching to go after returning from injury, with one eye on the national squad and the other on maintaining his prominent role within the Chelsea squad.

Match Prediction

Farke will look at Maresca with envy and wish that he had at least half of the options and squad depth at the Italian’s disposal. But sometimes, the lack of options makes a job easier, and without decision paralysis, he can focus all his mental bandwidth on making what is at hand work.

The 3-5-2 formation showed that it can bring out the best in Calvert-Lewin and Nmecha, while also reducing the need of output from wingers, which can only be a positive for Leeds, given how ineffective Brendan Aaronson and Wilfried Gnonto have looked. At a club with limited resources, the formation is vital to eke out the most from in-form players.

However, Farke could well be conservative at Elland Road and stick with what he knows best.

Without standout players, Farke has to set up his side such that they are proactive throughout the 90 minutes. That will also mitigate any individual errors, with mistakes in their own half likely being more costly than those near the opposition box, while also allowing them to force and benefit from opposition errors.

Chelsea and Maresca will undoubtedly look to dominate the game throughout and a reactive mindset might only serve to shoot them in the foot again.

Unless Farke springs a surprise and makes decisions which are drastically removed from his norm, expect more of the same; performances that promise with dominance in phases of matches but ultimately flattering to deceive as Leeds are left licking their wounds.

After all, despite both teams’ resolve over the weekend, it was Chelsea that walked away with a point while it was a familiar tale of Leeds coming away empty handed.

Where To Watch?