BBC pundit Chris Sutton has backed Chelsea to beat Leicester City in their Premier League clash on Saturday, November 23. He believes that the Blues are stronger than the Foxes and will ease to a 3-1 win at the King Power Stadium.
In his column for the BBC, Sutton stated that Enzo Maresca has done well at Stamford Bridge and will make things hard for his replacement at Leicester City, Steve Cooper. He believes that the Foxes concede too many goals and wrote:
“Enzo Maresca is back at Leicester for the first time since he left to take charge of Chelsea in the summer, and I actually think his return will be quite straightforward for him and his side. Leicester will be pretty happy with the way they have started the season, given they had to replace Maresca, but I still think Steve Cooper faces a hard job to keep them up.”
“Like a lot of promoted clubs, the Foxes concede too many goals and that is one of the reasons I am backing Chelsea here. The Blues have been in good form under Maresca and this is probably the easiest prediction of the week. The only thing that makes me question whether Chelsea will win is because you never know quite where teams are after the international break, and also how many of their injured players will still be out. Cole Palmer was one of them, but I am willing to bet he will start this game. If he is fit, they will have a little bit too much for Leicester.”
Chelsea are third in the Premier League table with 19 points from 11 matches, while Leicester City are 15th with 10 points. This is the first match against a promoted side for the Blues this season.
“Excited and also thankful” – Enzo Maresca on returning to Leicester City with Chelsea
Enzo Maresca has acknowledged that he is excited about returning to Leicester City this weekend. The Italian tactician led the Foxes to the Championship title last season and was snapped up by the Blues in the summer.
The Chelsea manager claimed that he still has contact with several staff from the club and told the media (via Football London):
“First of all, excited and also thankful because it was a fantastic season. I met people that are very difficult to find in football; the owner, his family, they are fantastic human beings. They care for the players, the staff, all of the people who work inside the club. You can see that. It was a fantastic connection between the players and the staff. This is something you need to create and I will be thankful for all of my life to that squad. Most of them, I am still in contact with them so there is still a connection. For me, it was a fantastic season.”
Chelsea are without Reece James this weekend after the club captain picked up a hamstring injury. He will be taking a scan next week to determine the duration of his recovery period.
