Chelsea have kept grinding out the results and a 0-0 draw at Arsenal on Sunday has left them within two victories of lifting the Premier League title.
Jose Mourinho’s side have come in for media criticism for their negative approach in recent games but his hand has been forced by the injuries to his key strikers. Diego Costa’s presence up front has been sorely missed and the Blues have certainly lacked a cutting edge. Eden Hazard has come to the rescue with winning goals against West Ham and Manchester United and the majority of his eighteen goals have come away from home.
Factor in the on-going saga of Chelsea’s lack of penalties and everything points to Hazard being the key player at Leicester on Wednesday night. He was strangely anonymous against Arsenal on Sunday as Chelsea played out a match of containment. Jose Mourinho is no fool and he knows that he can expect a tough game at Leicester, despite their lowly league position.
Nigel Pearson’s side have put together an astonishing run of four straight victories to haul themselves out of the bottom three. They are only a point above Sunderland and four points clear of QPR but they play both sides on the run-in. They also play a struggling Newcastle side that are only four points above them but have played a game more.
Most pundits now expect the Foxes to escape the drop, irrespective of Wednesday’s result. A draw would be seen as a fine result for the home team and would be by no means disastrous for Chelsea. However, the Blues will want to get the job done as quickly as possible. They know that three points on Wednesday will set them up to lift the title at Stamford Bridge against London rivals Crystal Palace this weekend.
A draw would see them have to wait until the following week against Liverpool. The Reds have suffered an alarming dip in form but they are still formidable opponents and will surely raise their game against Chelsea. The painful memories of the Blues stealing the three points at Anfield last season and effectively handing the title to Man City, still linger on.
Chelsea to beat Leicester @3-4 Bet365
Chelsea to win by one goal @11-4 Skybet
Leicester 0 Chelsea 1 @7-1 Bet365
Eden Hazard to score first @11-2 Boylesports
Eden Hazard to score at any time @13-8 Stan James
Eden Hazard to score and Chelsea win @13-5 Paddy Power
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