Chelsea FC vs Leeds United, Premier League 2022-2023, Today Match Prediction

Chelsea FC vs Leeds United Match Prediction & Analysis

Life just seems to go from bad to worse for Chelsea every time they play these days. The Blues have just one victory so far in 2023 and have seen their league position slip further and further downwards.

There is a crazy statistic that Real Madrid have scored more goals in England than Chelsea have this year – the Spanish side scored four against Liverpool in the Champions League while the Blues have only four.

It’s remarkable how quickly this club have fallen under Graham Potter’s management. A defeat here would surely move him closer to the sack.

Leeds are a step ahead of Chelsea in that regard, having recently brought in a new manager to try and beat the drop. Javi Gracia tasted victory in his first game as boss, although that was against bottom side Southampton.

They crept outside of the bottom three with that victory, but there is still a long way to go before they are out of trouble.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Chelsea FC Preview

Reasons to be cheerful:

     Won their past five home games against Leeds – unbeaten in their last six

     The return of Wes Fofana from injury can cover Thiago Silva’s injury

Reasons to be fearful:

     Won just two of their last 15 games

     Scored just 23 goals in their 24 league games this season

If you thought things couldn’t get any worse for Chelsea, one of their best and most consistent players now seems likely to miss out for a while through injury.

Thiago Silva looks set to miss up to six weeks through a knee ligament problem, leaving a gaping hole in Chelsea’s defence. Fortunately, £80m signing Wes Fofana is fit enough to return from his own injury problems.

Chelsea’s season has gone from bad to worse under Graham Potter. The Blues are closer to Leeds in terms of points than they are to the top four and any hope of a successful season has now surely passed.

A home game against Leeds should provide them with the victory they need to build some confidence, although that is not a certainty. 

Star Man – Joao Felix

The Portuguese star was brought in on loan to help Chelsea’s stuttering attack click. He is an immensely talented player and could find some joy against Leeds’ weak defence.

Leeds United Preview

Reasons to be cheerful

     Important win over Southampton last weekend

     Georginio Rutter in line for his first league start

Reasons to be fearful

     Awful away run against Chelsea in recent history

     The likes of Wober, Cooper and Struijk nursing injuries

Leeds are perhaps feeling the benefit of appointing a new manager at the business end of the season. Javi Gracia tasted victory in his first match as boss last weekend and he hopes it’ll be the start of better things to come.

When Gracia was manager at Watford, his second game was also against Chelsea – a game he won 4-1.

He has some talented players at his disposal here. We know a lot about the likes of Gnonto and Bamford, and Rutter could make his first start in the league after his club-record signing in January.

Leeds earned arguably their best win of the season against Chelsea earlier this season – winning 3-0. Can they earn the double over the Blues here?

Star Man – Wilfried Gnonto

The pacey winger always causes problems regardless of who he plays against. With Bamford and possibly Rutter playing upfront, Gnonto should have even more targets in the penalty area.