Leeds United face Chelsea away from home in the Premier League this weekend, a match that will be the 16th outing of the season for each side.
The two teams are sat at opposite ends of the table at present, but have a long way to go in the campaign if they are to achieve their respective objectives come the end of the season.
Leeds have won just the once away from home which was a 2-1 success at Norwich, but have also drawn three out of their seven matches, showing much needed resilience. Chelsea have lost just the once on home turf, drawing two and winning four from their seven outings.
The two teams met last season, with neither team managing to win away from home. A 3-1 win for the Blues at Stamford Bridge was followed up with a goalless draw at Elland Road.
Chelsea have however won the last four in the league on home turf against Leeds. The impressive record for Saturday’s hosts will give them confidence, coupled with the fact Leeds have won two from 32 away matches in London, drawing seven in that spell.
Both teams have shown this season that they play to the whistle. No team has more 90th minute goals than these two, with three apiece, most notably last time out for the Whites when Patrick Bamford’s goal earned a point against Brentford, following a 90th minute Raphinha winner against Crystal Palace the game before.
The Brazilian’s goal against Palace made it six for the season, and he tops the goalscoring standings for the Whites. For the Blues, Mason Mount’s five goals have him at the top for his team, but a number of players are close to him showing threats across the team.
Saturday’s referee is Chris Kavanagh. The Lancashire based official hasn’t been in charge of a match involving Leeds so far this season, but did oversee four last year, all away from home. In those matches, the Whites had a record of two wins (Everton & Leicester) and two losses (Crystal Palace & Brighton).
Approaching a busy fixture schedule and with plenty of points on offer, a win for Marcelo Bielsa’s could possibly see them rise as high as 11th in the table, depending on results elsewhere. For Thomas Tuchel’s Blues, they have the possibility of returning to the top of the table if they take the maximum points this weekend.
The match has not been selected for live broadcast but live commentary is available as always on LUTV, with up to date blog coverage on leedsunited.com
Manager/head coach:
Chelsea: Thomas Tuchel
Leeds: Marcelo Bielsa
What Marcelo Bielsa said ahead of the match?
“Each of the games we are going to come up against, we face teams where points are at stake. Whether that be drawing or winning, we will prepare ourselves with a lot of hopes. The hopes and desires are increased because they are very big opponents. To be able to get points in those games has added value. We’re going to go into each of these games with desire.”
League position
Chelsea: 3rd
Leeds: 15th
Premier League form
Chelsea: DWDWL
Leeds: DLDWD
Top scorer
Chelsea: Mason Mount (5)
Leeds: Raphinha (6)
Head to head
Chelsea: 35
Draw: 30
Leeds: 39
A memorable moment against Chelsea…
Team news
Leeds will be without Rodrigo, Kalvin Phillips, Liam Cooper, Patrick Bamford and Robin Koch this weekend for the trip to London. A mix of hamstring and heel injuries combined with illness has caused the five first team players to be missing.
Chelsea will be without Trevoh Chalobah, Ben Chilwell, Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante as they also face injury issues within the squad. Returning to action for the hosts will be Jorginho though, despite Thomas Tuchel saying his midfielder will play with ongoing pain.
Officials
Referee - Chris Kavanagh
Assistant Referee 1 - Dan Cook
Assistant Referee 2 - Dan Robathan
Fourth Official - Tony Harrington
Video Assistant Referee - Mark Scholes
The key battle
Kai Havertz vs Raphinha
Two left-footed attackers who regularly offer match winning moments for their side. Both players are likely to be involved and play a key part in the attacking moments this weekend. Take a look at some head to head stats between the two, ahead of the potential battle between them this weekend.
Latest odds
Chelsea: 2/9
Draw: 21/4
Leeds: 11/1
How to watch
The match has not been selected for live broadcast but live commentary is available as always on LUTV, with up to date blog coverage on leedsunited.com
Supporter information
Please read this important information ahead of the game.
