Chelsea are in pole position to claim their first Premier League title in Jose Mourinho’s second coming and a win at the King Power Stadium will put the blues within touching distance of their first League crown in five years.
The side from West London produced a solid away performance against Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday as they maintained their 10-point lead over the Gunners with five matches remaining. A goalless draw might have earned them ‘Boring, boring Chelsea!’ rants from the Arsenal faithful but Jose Mourinho would be well aware that it was another vital step towards his third Premier League victory.
And with Leicester City fighting to avoid the drop, John Terry and co. cannot avoid any slip-ups as they chase the two wins that they need to wrap up the title. Leading goalscorer Diego Costa is still out, but Chelsea havs coped well in his absence having put together a run of four wins and one draw in their last five games.
Let’s take a look at the Chelsea side that could take the field at the King Power Stadium on Wednesday.
Goalkeeper – Thibaut Courtois
Barely tested against Arsenal, but was up to the task. The Belgian has well and truly established himself as the No.1 goalkeeper at Chelsea.
Defence – Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta.
Jose Mourinho isn’t one to tinker with the tried and tested and with consecutive clean sheets against the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal, the Portugese would be banking on his watertight defence to produce another reliable display on Wednesday.
Midfield – Matic, Ramires, Willian, Fabregas, Hazard.
Matic and Ramires have complemented each other well in recent games and the Brazilian’s energy and running ability could well prove to be the key against this Leicester outfit.
Willian has been a willing worker for the team and could be given a rest, but it seems unlikely that Mourinho would throw Juan Cuadrado in a match of this significance. Cesc Fabregas has lost his form a little in the latter part of the season, but has the vision and the ability to open up the best of defenses in a matter of seconds.
And the recently crowned PFA Player of the year Eden Hazard would be delighted to be back in his familiar role at left wing.
Striker – Didier Drogba
Diego Costa is back in contention but is unlikely to be risked, so Didier Drogba gets another opportunity to start.