Chelsea vs. Leicester City: Predicted starting XI slots for Alonso, Fabregas
Chelsea need to recover their momentum after the loss to Liverpool, but Leicester City stand in their way. How will Chelsea line-up against the Foxes at King Power Stadium?
LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 15: General view of the stadium interior prior to the Premier League match between Chelsea and West Ham United at Stamford Bridge on August 15, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Arfa Griffiths/West Ham United via Getty Images)
Chelsea get some midweek action again with a trip to Leicester City in the League Cup. The Champions have been having a fairly poor season in light of their Cinderella story last year. Chelsea, meanwhile, are in a bit of a slump, being winless in their last two matches.
With an eye towards Arsenal and a recognition that Leicester are reverting to the form expected of them, Antonio Conte will opt to make a few changes to freshen up the squad.
Asmir Begovic
1, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Asmir Begovic came to Chelsea to compete against one of the best goalkeepers in the world. With Thibaut Courtois looking like a shadow of his former self, Begovic deserves his chance to compete. Even if Courtois was playing as well as he should be, Antonio Conte would have likely rotated Begovic in against Leicester. But now there is the very real possibility that Begovic can turn a good performance into more starts down the line.Next: Defence
Defence
LB
Marcos Alonso
3, Spain
Antonio Conte hinted that Marcos Alonso could see game time against Leicester in his pre-match press conference Friday. With Terry injured and Cahill being awful, Alonso will get his debut at the King Power Stadium. He will be facing the slightly less-amazing-than-last-season Riyad Mahrez. That is a tough ask for a player getting his debut, but Conte is out of options for sorting out the back line before January.CB
Branislav Ivanovic
2, Serbia
Ivanovic gets to start by virtue of being vice-captain. It also helps that Gary Cahill should be nowhere near the starting XI for quite some time after his most recent “performances”. Ivanovic is much improved over last season, but still hardly someone challenging for man of the match. Conte takes a risk playing him as center-back against Jamie Vardy, but it is still a safer option than putting Cahill against the Foxes’ front man.CB
David Luiz
30, Brazil
With one full game under his belt, the dust has settled somewhat around David Luiz. He was not the flashy liability that some expected. He was also not the much improved rock at the back that others expected. He had an extremely conservative game where nothing really stood out. Now he will get his chance against one of last season’s best strikers and he will get to see what all the fuss was about. RB
Cesar Azpilicueta
28, Spain
Cesar Azpilicueta is Chelsea’s best defender. He will start until he either ages or his form completely evaporates. No, he is not perfect, but he is about as close as a player can get. The matchup against Leicester City will see him return to his original right back position. He will have to remain vigilant to Leicester’s speedy counter attacks as well as find time to aid his winger in attack. But if any of Chelsea’s defenders is capable of that right now, it’s Azpilicueta. Next: Midfield
Midfield
DM
N’Golo Kante
7, France
N’golo Kante’s human frailties are showing, and it is a scary sight. He has not been the wall he was before the international break, and Chelsea are suffering as a result. A rest would do him much good, but if Conte is taking the League Cup seriously then he has no back up for Kante. So the Frenchman will get a crack at the club he helped carry to the title last season. Hopefully, he can remind the Leicester faithful what they are missing. MF
Cesc Fabregas
4, Serbia
Cesc Fabregas is overdue to return to the starting XI. Chelsea have been sorely lacking creativity lately, and neither Matic nor Oscar can be a team’s main creative force like Fabregas can. Yes, Fabregas warrants worries about defensive solidity. But Chelsea have kept only one clean sheet this season with a defensive-oriented midfield. Leicester will bunker and counter as they always do, so Chelsea needs a player like Fabregas to tear them open and allow Diego Costa to score more than the Blues concede.MF
Oscar
8, Brazil
Oscar has been revitalized under Conte, but was his former inadequate self against Liverpool. He was still much better than Matic, which is why he retains his place whilst Matic sits. Oscar and Kante will have to shield Fabregas long enough for Fabregas to make the cutting through-balls. Oscar will also need to be the clean up on the edge of the box. This could very well be the kind of game Oscar needs to restore confidence in himself… if he does well. MF
Willian
22, Brazil
When Willian is the best player in a match, then you know things are going poorly. The Liverpool game is a perfect example of that. Though Willian was subbed off for Moses in the dying moments of the game, he will find himself starting again against Leicester City. The best Chelsea can hope for is that Willian is not the man of the match, which usually equates to the rest of the team performing dismally.MF
Eden Hazard
10, Belgium
Much like Kante, Hazard has looked much poorer since the international break. There is an outside chance that Pedro will get the start over him, but Hazard is more or less undroppable. Even if he is playing badly, he is capable of creating one moment of magic that turns the tide of the game. Conte knows it’s hard to take a player like that off, but he will also begin thinking about Victor Moses and Pedro on the bench. Conte may have a difficult decision to make as the game reaches its climax. Next: Attack
Attack
ST
Diego Costa
19, Spain
With a goal to match each of his appearances, Diego Costa will continue to start until he finds a suspension. Even with virtually no service against Liverpool, he was able to find the back of the net. Much has been said about Costa’s attitude, but as of right now his product is better than his risk. Michy Batshuayi might come on late to partner with Costa, but Costa will do just fine on his own until then. Next: Four keys as Chelsea face Leicester City in EFL Cup action
Should Antonio Conte do more than the two changes? Does Chelsea need a new formation against Leicester City, or is the 4-1-4-1 up to the task?
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