Premier League: Frank’s Chelsea Homecoming

Chelsea vs Leicester City

We have a tale of two coaches to look forward to as Chelsea meets Leicester City on Sunday in a mouth-watering clash at Stamford Bridge.

It’s Super Frank Lampard’s first home game as a Premier League boss and he’s been welcomed with open arms, after an illustrious playing career as a Blues legend. He has a job on his hands though, as a rookie manager, having cut his teeth in the Championship with Derby County…this is a different prospect altogether.

Expectations are high at the Bridge and Lampard will have to work some magic without Chelsea’s best player over the last decade. Of course Eden Hazard has headed off to Spain to join Real Madrid so Chelsea needs to find a new hero.

Visiting manager Brendan Rodgers made his reappearance in the Premier League late last season and he has a point to prove.

This is a cracking game for the neutral and a good test of our SBOBET tips!

Talking Points

Frank puts his faith in Christian

A lot of Chelsea’s hopes rest on their new hero Christian Pulisic ,signed from Borussia Dortmund for £58m, the highest fee ever paid for an American. At 20 years old he has a lot on his shoulders as the naturally successor to Hazard, and Lampard must make sure that doesn’t weigh too heavily on his young star.

Pulisic is used to taking the responsibility though, as the youngest player to captain and score for the US, and he played over 50 games for BVB before he reached his 19^th birthday.

Lampard needs his new man to step up quickly, particularly while his club is at the start of a two year transfer ban.

He might have to put his faith in the club’s youngsters, the youth team won an unprecedented quadruple in 2017-18 and Mason Mount, who impressed at Derby County under Lampard last season, and Callum Hudson-Odoi are two who could become regular fixtures is the side.

This could be a big season for N’Golo Kante, excellent for three years but the midfield anchorman looked a little lost at times when Maurizio Sarri pushed him further forward. Lampard needs Kante to break up play and protect the ball to give the younger players time to flourish.

But goals could be a problem now that Hazard has departed, and while Olivier Giroud is a French master, backed up by another young gun, Tammy Abraham, that area looks woefully light.

Premier League: Jamie Vardy hit 18 goals in all competitions last season — Jamie Vardy in action during Leicester City’s pre-season match against Scunthorpe United

Top Six assault for the Foxes?

Head coach Brendan Rodgers wants his side to knock heavily on the door of the Top Six this season and the former Liverpool boss certainly has the tools to cause some damage. After leading Celtic to domestic domination in Scotland over the past three seasons Rodgers answered the call from south of the border and he made an immediate impression as the Foxes won five of his first six games and finished strongly in ninth place.

The Northern Irishmen has unfinished business in the Premier League. He came agonisingly close to leading Liverpool to the title back in 2014, and while Leicester fans won’t expect to repeat their own 5001:00 feat of 2016, the Premier League news of the decade, a Europa League place could well be on the cards. If not Liverpool and Manchester City, Rodgers will certainly have Manchester United and Chelsea in his sights.

The purchase of Youri Tielemans on a permanent deal could be his most significant move of the summer and young Harvey Barnes had a good breakthrough season last term. But the Foxes’ main man for goals remains the arch poacher Jamie Vardy. That could be Rodgers’ main problem. The 32 year old scored another 18 last season but with little back up, and I’m not yet sure new signing Ayoze Perez is ready to lighten Vardy’s load.

History

Let’s take a look at the form guide to help with our Chelsea vs Leicester betting tips.

The Foxes are unbeaten in seven games and have a winning streak of four away from home. Stamford Bridge is a hard place to come though as Chelsea is unbeaten at home in ten.

Chelsea has won 18 to five of their meetings since 1994 but the corresponding fixture last season resulted in a 0-1 win for Leicester, while the return match was a 0-0 draw.