Jesse Marsch’s Leeds are off to a good start as they look to turn over a new leaf after the bitter end to the Bielsa era, with relegation avoided on the last day of the season. The new course began with a victory (2-1 at Wolverhampton) and a draw (2-2 at Southampton). The points in the standings could have been six, if against the Saints, last Saturday, the Whites had not let themselves be caught in the last half-hour, squandering two goals of advantage. In short, the famous ‘catastrophe’ that some insiders had predicted after the farewells of Raphinha and Phillips is nowhere to be seen. The club has sold its most valuable pieces, but at the same time it has invested a lot, trying to breathe new life into that group which, led by the ‘Loco’, two seasons ago was able to win back the Premier League after an absence of more than a decade.
Marsch will have to wait a little longer before getting his starting striker Bamford back – Firpo, Ayling and Dallas are also in the infirmary – but so far his absence has not been particularly noticeable. At Elland Road in any case, the level of difficulty rises dramatically, since this weekend a battleship like Chelsea is the guest.
The Blues come from the 2-2 draw in the derby with Tottenham, which risked turning into a real ‘bullfight’ because of the now famous quarrel between Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte. So much regret for the German coach, who saw three precious points in a direct confrontation slip through his fingers in the very last minutes of stoppage time. Against Spurs, however, the performance was there, and it was Azpilicueta and his team-mates who deserved to win, as they were “guilty” of being too inaccurate in front of Lloris’ goal.
Sterling and Mount ©️Ansafoto
The Prediction
This is the first real test for Leeds: last year the Whites suffered memorable setbacks against the big boys, now it remains to be seen if they have learned their lesson. Chelsea, however, will concede nothing in an attempt to forget the bitterness of the two points lost to Tottenham. The Blues are favourites for victory in a match in which they should score between two and four goals against Marsch’s side.
The Leeds-Chelsea line-up probables
LEEDS (4-2-3-1): Meslier; Kristensen, Koch, Llorente, Struijk; Roca, Adams; Aaronson, Rodrigo, Harrison; James.
CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Mendy; Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Koulibaly; James, Loftus-Cheek, Jorginho, Cucurella; Mount, Sterling; Havertz.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-2
