Chelsea will aim to keep pace with the Premier League leaders when they travel to face head coach Enzo Maresca's former club Leicester City in Saturday's early kickoff.
Leicester's return to the top flight as EFL Championship winners was masterminded by Maresca last term and Chelsea's decision to poach the Italian tactician so far looks like a solid one as they sit third behind champions Manchester City and leaders Liverpool.
However, their form might need a gentle shot in the arm. Last month's 2-1 home win over Newcastle United is their only victory in their past five league matches, albeit this run is no disgrace. It features draws with Manchester United, Arsenal and surprise high-fliers Nottingham Forest, along with a narrow loss at Anfield.
Steve Cooper has endured a tough time as Maresca's successor, his Forest links making winning over the Leicester fanbase a taxing experience. The Foxes are 15th with 10 points from 11 games and are winless in their past four, going down to a lacklustre 3-0 defeat to then-managerless Manchester United last time out.
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Leicester City vs. Chelsea lineups, expected starting 11, team news
Patson Daka, Bobby De Cordova-Reid and veteran striker Jamie Vardy could all be fit to bolster Cooper's forward options.
Experienced defender Jannik Vestergaard is likely to be out with his own ankle injury alongside Ricardo Pereira (thigh) and Jordan Ayew (knee).
Issahaku Fatawu will be out for the season after injuring his anterior cruciate ligament.
Leicester predicted starting XI (4-3-3, right to left): Hermansen (GK) — Justin, Faes, Coady, Kristiansen — Ndidi, Winks, Soumare — Buonanotte, Vardy, El Khannouss
Injured: Vestergaard, Pereira, Ayew, Fatawu
Suspended: None
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Maresca confirmed that captain Reece James has suffered another hamstring injury and will miss this game, although he hopes the issue is a minor one.
Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill withdrew from international duty but both are in training again with Chelsea and are hoped to play a full role on Saturday.
Jadon Sancho being back from illness gives Maresca a virtually clean bill of health, although the Manchester United loanee is most likely to feature among the substitutes alongside ex-Leicester midfielder Kienan Dewsbury-Hall.
Chelsea predicted starting XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Sanchez (GK) — Cucurella, Fofana, Colwill, Veiga — Lavia, Caicedo — Madueke, Palmer, Neto — Jackson
Injured: James, Colwill (doubt), Gusto (doubt), Jorgensen (doubt), Lavia (doubt), Palmer (doubt)
Suspended: None
Leicester City vs. Chelsea lineups live stream, TV channel
Here's how to watch this Premier League match across selected areas of the world's major regions:
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| USA | USA Network, Universo | Fubo, NBC Sports site/app, Universo NOW, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo |
| Canada | — | Fubo |
| UK | TNT Sports 1 | discovery+ |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| India | Star Sports Select 1 | Disney+ Hotstar, JioTV |
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