Chelsea vs Leeds United

Stamford Bridge is the venue as mid-table Chelsea and relegation-battling Leeds United go head-to-head in a high-stakes Premier League showdown.

Despite dashing out north of £300m in the January transfer window, Chelsea will likely have to settle for a sub-par finish in the Premier League after a five-game winless league run (D3, L2) condemned them to a ten-point deficit on fifth-placed Newcastle United. March couldn’t have come soon enough for Graham Potter’s charges after they scored just once in five competitive outings in February (D2, L3). The fact Manchester City talisman Erling Haaland (27) alone has more Premier League goals than the entire ‘Blues’ squad (23) this season perhaps best illustrates Chelsea’s embarrassing season. But Leeds’ visit to the Bridge could help the downtrodden giants turn the corner, as they’ve won their last five home H2Hs in the Premier League, netting 2+ goals on four occasions.

On the other hand, new Leeds United boss Javi Garcia inspired his side to a 1-0 home win over fierce relegation rivals Southampton on his touchline debut last weekend, helping the ‘Whites’ arrest an underwhelming ten-game winless league run. Unfortunately for the Spaniard, his men recreated old habits in midweek FA Cup action, suffering a 2-0 loss at Fulham despite attempting 16 shots, including six on target. Garcia’s next task as a Leeds manager is to galvanize their away form, with the visitors picking up a league joint-low six points on their top-flight travels this term (W1, D3, L8). But despite coming into proceedings winless in six away league games, it’s worth noting Leeds’ only Premier League win on hostile turf in 2022/23 came at Liverpool in October.