Chelsea will face Leeds United in a historically significant fixture at Elland Road, looking to secure a victory as their young side comes of age, while Leeds desperately seeks points despite the goal-scoring form of Lukas Nmecha.
Chelsea travels to Elland Road to face Leeds United in a Premier League fixture “rich in history,” though the clubs have gone on vastly different trajectories in recent years, according to a report from FotMob.
Chelsea is showing signs of development under Enzo Maresca, who is seeing his “young side are coming of age.”
This follows a strong performance in their previous game, where they secured a 1-1 draw with Arsenal, going down to ten men and “outplaying the league leaders for large portions of the game.”
Leeds, meanwhile, is desperate for points. Goals remain their biggest issue, with only rock-bottom Wolves having scored fewer than their 13 goals this season.
Only seven different goal scorers have contributed for the West Yorkshire club, and Lukas Nmecha is the only one with more than two, despite scoring three goals in his previous three Premier League games.
In team news, Chelsea will be without Moisés Caicedo for three games following a straight red card for a “rash challenge on Mikel Merino.” Midfielder Andrey Santos is expected to replace him.
The big question is whether Cole Palmer will start after missing the vast majority of the season with a fractured toe; however, he scored two goals in his four games across all competitions and is expected to get “a good few minutes in his legs.”
Manager Maresca also confirmed Reece James won’t play the full 90 minutes. Chelsea will also be missing Levi Colwill (knee) and Roméo Lavia (thigh).
Leeds manager Daniel Farke is sweating over the fitness of James Justin, while Sean Longstaff remains out due to a calf problem. The match is predicted to be explosive, with FotMob backing a 2-1 win for Chelsea.