Leicester City vs. Chelsea: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info
It seems as though every week the conversation is about Chelsea needing three points to get their season going.
Well, in this week of all weeks, Jose Mourinho's men need a victory against Leicester City on Monday.
Results this weekend mean Chelsea now sit just one point above the relegation zone as we head into the Christmas fixtures.
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Facing Leicester has a now-or-never feel to it. Chelsea's season needs to pick up and Mourinho's men must start their recovery at the King Power Stadium.
Their poor form has gone on far too long, and they can ill afford to be dragged into a relegation scrap over the coming weeks.
It's not befitting of Premier League champions, nor a club with bigger ambitions than just merely maintaining their top-flight status. Chelsea must begin the process of climbing the table so they're looking ahead and not over their shoulder.
Mourinho acknowledged on Friday that this season hasn't been good enough from him and his players.
"[Leicester are at the top because] they are doing magnificently well," he said in his press conference.
"We are where we are because we are doing badly. We have the same potential as last season, the same manager, same players, so if we are where we are it’s because we are underperforming."
The last time Chelsea visited Leicester, they were going for the Premier League title while the Foxes were attempting to stay in the Premier League.
In terms of their form, though, not much has changed for the home side.
Back in late April, Leicester had won four on the bounce and were starting to look like the team that has taken the Premier League by storm this season.
They rocked Chelsea, who had the expertise of Didier Drogba to thank after his second-half performance proved instrumental in turning the game around as the Blues overcome a 1-0 deficit to win 3-1.
Looking at Chelsea's squad on paper, they're more than capable of doing that again. But this is a different Leicester side they will face.
Claudio Ranieri's men have lost just one league match since that Chelsea victory and they are full of confidence.
Mourinho knows he faces one of his biggest matches of the campaign.
Match Details
Date: Monday, December 14
Time: 8 p.m. GMT/3 p.m. ET
Venue: King Power Stadium, Leicester
TV Info: Sky Sports 1 (UK only)/NBC Sports (U.S. only)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK only)/NBCSN (U.S. only)
Last 5 Games
| Oct. 31 | West Bromwich Albion 2-3 Leicester City |
| Nov. 7 | Leicester City 2-1 Watford |
| Nov. 21 | Newcastle United 0-3 Leicester City |
| Nov. 28 | Leicester City 1-1 Manchester United |
| Dec. 5 | Swansea City 0-3 Leicester City |
| Nov. 21 | Chelsea 1-0 Norwich City |
| Nov. 24 | Maccabi Tel-Aviv 0-4 Chelsea |
| Nov. 29 | Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 Chelsea |
| Dec. 5 | Chelsea 0-1 Bournemouth |
| Dec. 9 | Chelsea 2-0 Porto |
Predicted Lineups
Mourinho has confirmed he has a full squad from which to pick his team on Monday.
Given his six-week lay-off, Radamel Falcao isn't expected to make the matchday squad, but John Terry and Ramires are back for Premier League selection after proving their fitness against Porto in the Champions League.
Ritchie De Laet and Matt James are Leicester's only absentees due to ankle and knee injuries respectively.
Leicester City (4-4-2): Schmeichel; Simpson, Morgan, Huth, Fuchs; Mahrez, Drinkwater, Kante, Albrighton; Okazaki, Vardy.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Ivanovic, Zouma, Terry, Azpilicueta; Matic, Ramires; Willian, Oscar, Hazard; Diego Costa.
Key Players
Riyad Mahrez
Fresh from scoring a hat-trick against Swansea City last weekend, Leicester's Algerian midfielder will be brimming with confidence.
Of course, the sort of performance that we saw at the Liberty Stadium has been the norm for Mahrez this season. Alongside Jamie Vardy he has been a major reason for the Foxes' continued excellent form.
With his blistering pace, Mahrez will ask big questions of the Chelsea full-backs. He'll look to exploit them at every opportunity, and it'll mean Mourinho's men having to be measured at the back.
If Mahrez is on song, it could be a long evening for Chelsea.
Diego Costa
Put simply, Chelsea need their striker to turn up at the King Power Stadium.
Diego Costa requires the sort of performance we saw from him against Porto last week where he bossed the centre-backs and made a real nuisance of himself.
When he's doing that, Costa is a real handful. Indeed, there are few better than him in the Premier League. The sobering reality is that he hasn't done it enough this season.
Chelsea must ask big questions of what is a shaky Leicester back line. If Costa can do that, then the London club have the opportunity to get something from this game.
Prediction
Leicester City 0-1 Chelsea
Odds
Home Win: 11/5
Away Win: 6/5
Draw: 12/5
First Goalscorer: Eden Hazard (7/1)
Odds via Odds Shark and Oddschecker
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes
