The international break is finally over, not to be seen again until March 2025. Club football takes precedence once again as Leicester and Chelsea kick off the Premier League’s hectic schedule in the run up to the festive period.
By Alex Roberts
Enzo Maresca returns to the King Power Stadium for the first time since guiding Leicester back to the to the promised land last season as pressure builds on his predecessor Steve Cooper.
Neither club is in particularly good form. Chelsea are winless in three games domestically while Leicester have lost three of their last four across all competitions. Unlike Cooper’s side, however, Chelsea have had luck on their side as clubs around them falter.
Enzo Fernández finally finding some form
It’s been a tough start to the season for the Argentinian, losing his place in Maresca’s preferred league XI to Roméo Lavia and his fellow £100millon+ man Moisés Caicedo starting to show exactly why Chelsea spent the big bucks.
Fernández replaced Lavia in their 1-1 draw with Arsenal before the break after the youngster picked up a knock, providing the assist for Pedro Neto’s equaliser. Lavia remains a doubt going into the game on Saturday, just as Fernández was seemingly finding his feet.
With five assists in his last four games for club and country, the central midfielder may have turned a corner. Even if three of them were in the 8-0 thrashing of FC Noah.
Pressure growing on Steve Cooper
Given his history with rivals Nottingham Forest, winning over the Leicester faithful was always going to be tricky for Cooper. The best way to get them on his side would be to win games, unfortunately that’s not happened.
All the momentum earned from their consecutive victories over Bournemouth and Southampton seems to have gone out the window. Star man Jamie Vardy was heavily missed in their 3-0 defeat to Man United as Leicester failed to convert any of their five shots on target while conceding all three of United’s.
We’re heading into the time of year where Chairmen and women up and down the country start to look at their club’s season and evaluate. Cooper’s job won’t depend on results against clubs like Chelsea, but a point wouldn’t hurt.
A selection headache for Enzo Maresca ahead of his return
Maresca has one of those ‘good problems’ people like to go on about. The wealth of talent available to him makes him the envy of managers everywhere but it’s a problem none the less.
The likes of João Félix and Christopher Nkunku have barely featured in the Premier League so far, despite the latter being the club’s top goal scorer. Both have impressed with the limited opportunities they’ve been handed and keeping them happy will be at the top of Maresca’s to-do list.
There has been little evidence to suggest it will happen, given the manager’s seemingly stringent two-squad system, but a game against opposition like Leicester is the perfect opportunity for Maresca to give a few other players a run out.
Prediction
Chelsea are seemingly better than Leicester in every area so football logic dictates that this has a 1-1 draw written all over it!
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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