Leeds United manager Daniel Farke, Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior in a circular insert.
Leeds United will play Chelsea next at Stamford Bridge and will be looking to get a result after a crucial 3-1 victory over Nottingham Forest in a fiercely fought relegation battle.
The fixture list does not offer many favours to teams in a Premier League relegation battle. For Leeds United, the trip to Stamford Bridge is among the toughest they will face.
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Daniel Farke’s side, locked in a tense battle for survival alongside Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, and West Ham, knows every point from here until May is precious.
However, picking up a result in London may have just become even trickier for Leeds, with one of Chelsea’s key players set to return from injury.
Chelsea receive major boost ahead of Leeds clash
Facing a Chelsea squad that has found ruthless form under new management also makes the mountain for Leeds to climb even steeper.
The Blues have won all four league games since Liam Rosenior took charge, their latest a 3-1 victory at Wolves powered by a Cole Palmer hat-trick. For Leeds, challenging an in-form Chelsea, particularly with their own need for points, grows more urgent by the week.
Speaking about the squad update, Rosenior delivered a positive update, hinting strongly at the imminent return of club captain and England international Reece James. The influential right-back has missed Chelsea’s last two matches but is now on the cusp of a return.
“He’s so close. He should be fit for Tuesday,” Rosenior confirmed. He was quick to dismiss any long-term concern, explaining, “It’s not a major problem at all. It’s a knock. Pain management issue. He was out running yesterday.”
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Data suggests Leeds are outmatched against Chelsea
Although it is something that most Leeds fans would begrudingly admit when analysing the two sides on paper, the Whites have already proven they can get the better of their bitter rivals this season.
The data suggests that whilst Chelsea are a better pure footballing team than Leeds, the Whites are a more physical outfit than their southern counterparts, and Farke must use this to their advantage.
Leeds United data compared with Chelsea
(Credit: DataMB)
To play into his sides’ physical advantages, Farke deployed both Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha up top last time out, and doing the same again could be the key to United finding more success against Chelsea.
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