You can expect to see some squad rotation from Blues boss Thomas Tuchel on Thursday night when his Chelsea side take on Leicester City at home. First off, his team is coming off 120+ minutes of action on Saturday, when they lost to Liverpool FC in the FA Cup Final.
Secondly, having clinched Champions League qualification with Arsenal’s surprise loss to Newcastle United yesterday, these final two league fixtures are sort of dead rubber kind of, sort of. Kickoff is 8pm GMT, on Thursday May 19 at the King Power Stadium.
Chelsea FC vs Leicester City FYIs
Google Result Probability projects Chelsea with a 70% chance of winning, while Leicester are at 12%, chances of a draw are at 18%. If you’re going to bet on this match at a no deposit bonus casino, then you’ll see the Blues backed as strong favorites. Chelsea are priced at 1.39 for a win while a draw can be had for 5.60. Leicester are priced at 10.12
Premier League Position: Chelsea 3rd, 70 pts, Leicester City 9th, 48pts
Premier League Form Guide: Chelsea WDLDW Leicester City WWLLD
Chelsea Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
After Extra Time Podcast: Spotify Apple Pods
Midfield maestro and Manchester United transfer target N’Golo Kante made a cameo at Wembley, so it seems like he’s back to fully fit and now ready to go the whole 90. Unless Tuchel wants to give Saul a run? Nah, probably not.
Meanwhile Cesar Azpilicueta and Hakim Ziyech will bring fresh legs to this one, so one could reasonably expect the pair to come back into the first team for the Thursday night clash.
Chelsea FC Starting XI Prediction vs Leicester City
Benjamin Mendy; Cesar Azpilicueta, Trevor Chalobah, Antonio Rudiger; Reece James, N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, Christian Pulisic; Hakim Ziyech, Mason Mount; Romelu Lukaku
Fearless Prediction: Chelsea FC 1, Leicester City 1
Prognosticating a score draw, and a perhaps less than inspiring edition of this fixture, as neither side really have a ton to play for in this one. It will then be a quick turnaround before Championship Sunday.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.