Blues again with problems in the defense?
Chelsea will be looking to get back on track against Leeds. Last weekend, they suffered their second defeat of the season in the London derby against the Hammers. As a result of the defeat, coach Thomas Tuchel’s team had to relinquish the top spot in the table and slipped down to third place.
The visitors arrive in 15th place in the table and recently achieved a home draw against promoted Brentford with great difficulty. For the clash at Stamford Bridge between Chelsea and Leeds, the betting tips are for goals on both sides.
Chelsea – Statistics & current form
The Blues can be happy with the season so far despite the recent defeat. Prior to last Saturday’s defeat to West Ham, the Londoners had been unbeaten in 12 games across the competition and the loss to the Irons was only their third defeat in all competitions this term.
Nevertheless, it highlighted once again that things are not running as smoothly defensively as before. They have not recorded a clean sheet in three league games and have conceded four of only nine goals on the season. Coach Thomas Tuchel has also already had to take his Blues to the Champions League this week.
The defence has also failed to impress in the top flight recently
The match at St. Petersburg not only required extra energy on the pitch, but also involved a lot of travelling due to the fact that it was an away game.
The showdown with the Russians ended in a 3:3 draw, which has resulted in second place for the Londoners at the end of the group stage in the top division. Once again, the defence presented itself unusually vulnerable in the match.
In the upcoming match, however, the reigning Champions League winners will rely above all on their home strength: Only against Manchester City they have conceded one home defeat so far. Otherwise, their record shows four wins and two draws in league play. On the offensive side, the personnel situation continues to brighten.
Romelu Lukaku, a top goal scorer, is available again after recovering from injury. Although he has only made brief appearances so far, “Big Rom” is expected to return to the starting eleven.
Is Lukaku back in action?
With this in mind when Chelsea and Leeds meet, the odds on his next goal celebrations also come with value. The added value tip is underpinned by his recent performance in the Champions League, when the top scorer in Belgium’s history returned to the starting line-up for the first time and scored straight away.
Predicted Chelsea line-up:
Mendy – Rüdiger – Silva – Christensen – James – Loftus-Cheek – Jorginho – Alonso – Lukaku – Ziyech – Havertz
Last matches played by Chelsea:
Champions League Grp. H
12/08 2021 – Zenit St. Petersburg 3 – 3 Chelsea London
Premier League
12/04 2021 – West Ham 3 – 2 Chelsea London
12/01 2021 – Watford 1 – 2 Chelsea London
11/28 2021 – Chelsea London 1 – 1 Manchester United
Champions League Grp. H
11/23 2021 – Chelsea London 4 – 0 Juventus Turin
Leeds – Statistics & current form
Coach Marcelo Bielsa’s eleven were also pleased to make a key comeback on the offensive last weekend. Patrick Bamford, who scored in injury time just 20 minutes after coming on as a substitute, was the man of the match for the Steel City side.
Thanks to his goal, United at least managed a draw against the promoted Brentford side. The importance of Patrick Bamford to Leeds is reflected in his record in the Premier League and Championship over the past two seasons, when he has scored a staggering 33 goals for the visitors in this flashback! With him on board, United should noticeably improve their attack.
This is necessary, because only five teams in the top flight of British football are undercut by Leeds’ average of one goal.
At least three goals at Stamford Bridge?
In view of a now stronger visitors’ offensive and the defensive problems described for the home side, the odds on more than 2.5 goals in the clash between Chelsea and Leeds are also worth considering.
Predicted Leeds line-up:
Meslier – Cooper – Llorente – Ayling – Dallas – Phillips – Forshaw – Firpo – James – Roberts – Raphinha
Last matches played by Leeds:
Premier League
12/05 2021 – Leeds 2 – 2 Brentford
11/30 2021 – Leeds 1 – 0 Crystal Palace
11/27 2021 – Brighton 0 – 0 Leeds
11/21 2021 – Tottenham 2 – 1 Leeds
11/07 2021 – Leeds 1 – 1 Leicester
Chelsea – Leeds Direct Comparison / H2H Record
Last season Chelsea prevailed 3-1 on their own ground and the second leg match at Leeds last March ended goalless. Thanks to those two results, the third-placed team in the table is unbeaten in this pairing for around 19 years (4-2-0).
Looking at Chelsea vs Leeds odds, it can be seen that the bookmakers do not expect this balance of power to end in favour of the home side.
Chelsea – Leeds bet
Chelsea go into the encounter as clear favourites with the second-best attack in the Premier League, but the Tuchel eleven has lost its dominance of late. In particular, the previously strongest defence in the league has become shakier of late. The forecast for the clash between Chelsea and Leeds therefore includes a goal celebration on both sides.
This is also supported by the fact that the visitors have Patrick Bamford, their top scorer of the last two years, back on board after an injury lay-off. The striker proved that he can work again immediately last weekend when he scored a goal in the draw against Brentford after being substituted.
In addition, the underdogs have a physical advantage in the encounter as the Blues have already played an away game in the Champions League this week, making their legs a little heavier. A starting position that should of course also be conducive to a goal by the visitors.
Betway offers betting odds of 2.10 on the match between Chelsea and Leeds.
