Frank Lampard continues to search for his first competitive win in charge following defeat in Istanbul, but the Foxes will give them no easy ride.
Having suffered Super Cup heartbreak in midweek against Liverpool, Chelsea will look to refocus their attention on domestic concerns when they host Leicester City in the Premier League this weekend.
Frank Lampard’s Blues were edged out by the Reds in Istanbul on penalties, after Tammy Abraham saw his spot-kick saved by Adrian following a 2-2 draw after extra time.
Having also been handed a 4-0 drubbing by Manchester United in their opening match of the campaign, the club legend will hope to win his first competitive game in charge against the Foxes at Stamford Bridge.
Brendan Rodgers’ side, however, will likely prove to be no pushover for the London club, as the former Liverpool and Celtic boss looks to transform his side back into genuine contenders who have an eye on breaking into the much-vaunted top six this season.
| Game | Chelsea vs Leicester City |
| Date | Sunday, August 18 |
| Time | 4:30pm BST / 11:30am ET |
| Stream (US) | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) .
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| NBCSN / Telemundo | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the UK, the match will be shown on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event, and available to stream on Sky Go.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Sky Sports Main Event / Sky Sports Premier League | Sky Go |
| Position | Chelsea squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Arrizabalaga, Caballero |
| Defenders | Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger, Alonso, Zouma, Emerson, Zappacosta, Tomori |
| Midfielders | Alonso; Kante, Jorginho, Pedro, Mount, Pulisic, Kenedy, Kovacic, Willian, Barkley, Bakayoko, Batshuayi |
| Forwards | Abraham, Giround |
Chelsea starting XI: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Zouma, Emerson; Kante, Jorginho, Mount; Pedro, Giroud, Pulisic
| Position | Leicester City squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Schmeichel, Ward |
| Defenders | Pereira, Soyuncu, Evans, Chilwell, Justin, Morgan, Benkovic, Amartey, Fuchs |
| Midfielders | Ndidi, Tielemans, Choudhury, Praet, Barnes, Albrighton, Gray, James, Silva, Mendy, Ghezzal |
| Forwards | Perez, Vardy, Maddison, Iheanacho, Slimani, Diabate |
Leicester starting XI: Schmeichel; Ricardo, Evans, Soyuncu, Fuchs; Choudhury, Ndidi, Tielemans; Maddison, Perez; Vardy
Chelsea are odds-on favourites to pick up their first win of the season at the price of 7/10 with bet365 . Leicester meanwhile can be backed for 4/1 while a draw is available at 11/4.
Click here to see all of bet365’s offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.
Frank Lampard will look to put his difficult start to life at Chelsea behind him when his side return to Stamford Bridge to host Leicester City this weekend in the Premier League.
The former Blues midfielder and club legend took the reins earlier this year in the wake of Maurizio Sarri’s exit, having guided Derby County to the Championship play-off final in his first season as a manager.
Yet in his opening two games, he has seen his side thumped 4-0 by old rivals Manchester United and suffer a gruelling penalty shoot-out defeat to Liverpool in the Super Cup in Istanbul.
Though it’s been far from the perfect beginning, Lampard’s young charges – with several players given extra prominence as the club continues to serve a transfer ban – have impressed on occassion, giving hope that they are simply struggling due to a tough run of games.
The former England playmaker openly admitted that he was under no illusion that the challenge ahead of him would be a tough one too, stating earlier this week: “Things surprise you in football management every day but the situation has been exactly what I expected.
“I knew about the transfer ban, I knew Eden Hazard had left the club, I knew we were losing two strikers in Alvaro Morata and Gonzalo Higuain and I knew we couldn’t buy anyone. I knew we had five or six major injuries.
“I knew all that but the last thing I want to be is negative. I want us to be competitive this year and we still have a strong squad. We have to be a bit patient because those other factors are there. But that doesn’t mean we can’t go out there with that competitive head on and challenge in everything that we do. My job is to focus on the task at hand.”
The visit of the Foxes – one of a handful of sides tipped to potentially crack the Premier League’s “big six” this season, arguably at the expense of Chelsea – presents a different kind of challenge to that of United or Liverpool though, with Brendan Rodgers’ side likely to be no pushover on the road.
The former Celtic boss however has backed his opposite number to succeed, describing him as ‘perfect’ for the job at hand.
“I think Frank has done very well since he has gone in,” he stated. “This is a team that finished third and won the Europa League. I think Frank is perfect for it. He and Jody [Morris], they understand the fabric of Chelsea, what it’s about.
“You go with your gut feeling. He’s been around a long time. He understands the club, the expectancy. He’s a hero for the supporters. He’ll want to win and succeed as a manager. He’s got great staff around him who also understand Chelsea and then he’ll have that support.”
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