Leeds United vs Chelsea
August 21, 2022 9:00 am EDT
Leeds United and Chelsea face off on Saturday in an English Premier League showdown at Elland Road. When these two teams faced off on May 11th it was Chelsea that secured the 3-0 victory.
Leeds United have to be happy with the way they have played so far this season, but the defense is something that will need to be improved on heading into this game. In the first game of the season, Leeds United beat the Wolves 2-1. In the last game against Southampton, it again took two goals to pick up a point. Leeds United had two goals from Rodrigo Moreno, and it looked like they were going to cruise to an easy victory. The defense let down late, though, and two goals given up after the 72nd minute led to the draw. One big issue for Leeds United is it looks like they might be without Patrick Bramford who is dealing with a groin injury. Not having him is a big loss for the team.
On the other side of this matchup is Chelsea, who have picked up four points so far this season, but they still can’t be happy with the way the last game ended. Chelsea gave up a goal to Hayy Kane in the 96th minute and that led to only having a draw and not a win against Tottenham Hotspur. Chelsea had 64 percent of the possession, but only had three shots on goal. One big issue for Chelsea heading into this game is the injuries they are dealing with. N’Golo Kante is dealing with a hamstring injury and is expected to be out at least a couple of weeks. In this game, Chelsea needs to put Leeds’ defense on their back foot and try to get the first goal early.
Facing Tottenham Hotspur and facing Leeds United is a much different challenge, but I think Chelsea is built to find success against a team like Leeds. Chelsea is going to continue to find success with their offense, but their defense is going to be better, and that will be the difference as Chelsea gets the job done. Back Chelsea -1.
