Chelsea win
Leicester City, after a stunning 4-1 win over Tottenham on matchday 23, went on a three-fight losing streak. The Foxes lost to Manchester United (0-3), Arsenal (0-1) and Southampton (0-1).
The team doesn’t have the worst offense, averaging 1.21 xg, but their defense leaves a lot to be desired. In terms of expected goals conceded (xga = 1.64), the club lags behind in second to last place in the Premier League.
In addition to the disgusting form, the team is struggling with staffing problems. Midfield leaders Tielemans (3+1) and Barnes (8+1) are unlikely to be in the upcoming match. Also doubtful is Justin, who is in the top three in terms of average advancement of the ball (6.86 meters).
Chelsea, after some decline and chaos in their game, are finally starting to gain momentum. In the previous round, the “aristocrats” confidently defeated “Leeds United” (1:0), and in the last match they were stronger than “Borussia Dortmund” (2:0) in the 1/8 finals of the Champions League. The match turned out to be nervous and tense, but Błękitni coped with emotions in such a situation and showed integral football. A two-goal victory after a 1-0 defeat in Dortmund allowed Chelsea to advance to the next round of the Champions League.
Up to this point, the team had struggled a lot to take chances, only scoring 7 goals in 16 matches with 19.85 xg created.
Winning a Champions League match will certainly give the players the necessary confidence in front of the opponent’s goal.
I think Chelsea’s progress has reached a level where they can easily deal with away Leicester.