Frank Lampard’s Chelsea narrowly missed out on their first silverware of the season, as they were beaten to the UEFA Super Cup by Liverpool on penalties. The Blues also lost their first league game to Manchester United in embarrassing fashion and will look to bounce back this weekend, when they welcome Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester City to Stamford Bridge.
The Foxes remain the last side to beat Chelsea at The Bridge, almost a year ago but Frank Lampard will believe that his side has the character to hit back and register their first win of the new campaign.
Team News
The Blues now have Antonio Rudiger and Willian both back in training. The duo is expected to be a part of the squad to face The Foxes this weekend. Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Reece James are still nursing injuries but Callum Hudson-Odoi has started training with the U23s and should be back in a month.
PREDICTED CHELSEA LINEUP TO FACE LEICESTER CITY (4-2-3-1)
Defence
Kepa Arrizabalaga needs more cover from his backline. He has shipped six goals in the two games so far this season and will hope to have a better night this weekend. But he will need the likes of Kurt Zouma and Andreas Christensen, to provide him some protection. However, against the likes of Jamie Vardy and Ayoze Perez, Kepa might yet have another testing night.
Cesar Azpilicueta will look to add some stability to the backline on the right while Emerson Palmieri would want to continue to impress the Chelsea manager with another hard-working game against The Foxes, starting on the left.
Midfield
This is where Lampard needs to make some crucial decisions. N’Golo Kante, Chelsea’s best player against Liverpool, did not start against Manchester United. He should be back in the starting XI against his former side this weekend.
Mateo Kovacic adds a bit of creativity to the midfield and could slot in but Jorginho was also impressive at times and his ability to recycle possession and also add cover to the backline might see him partner Kante in the middle of the park. Ross Barkley is also an option given his lack of involvement in the UEFA Super Cup.
Bonus Read: What Frank Lampard Should Do With Tammy Abraham?
Attack
Tammy Abraham had a forgettable night in Turkey. He only came off the bench and deserves to get another shot at leading the attack for Chelsea. He will have Christian Pulisic behind him this time while Pedro, who looked decent in both games, will look to dent the Leicester City backline.
Young Mason Mount may not have made a direct impact on the scoreline but his confidence with the ball and running without it should make him an easy choice for Lampard in the no.10 role.
Here is how they might line up:
