Not only was that a crushing blow in Leicester’s bid to beat the drop, but it also marked a fourth straight loss across all competitions for the Foxes, who have sunk to just two points above the Premier League (PL) relegation zone .
It’s been a frustrating campaign for the 2015/16 PL champions, who have been particularly poor at home, where they have registered just three wins from 12 top-flight matches (D3, L6).
The visit of Chelsea will likely only further worry supporters as Leicester have won just three of the last 21 league meetings between the two sides (D6, L12), with a leaky back line keeping only four clean sheets in the process.
The mid-table Blues are hardly pulling up any trees themselves though, with just two wins in ten PL matches this calendar year (D4, L4).
That poor run has stretched the patience of some supporters, who are already calling for manager Graham Potter to be replaced, although the tension around Stamford Bridge was eased a little on Tuesday with a 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund that saw the London outfit reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
An under-fire Potter will hope his side are now coming out the other side of what he admits has been “a tough period,” as they seek a third straight win for the first time since October.
Victory at the King Power Stadium would also end Chelsea’s barren run of eight winless PL away games (D4, L4), their longest such run since April 2000 to March 2001 when they went 16 fixtures without success.
Players to watch: Leicester’s James Maddison has been on the winning side in 12 of his last 16 scoring appearances for the club (D1, L3), with 13 of those matches including at least three goals. He may be trying to out-do Raheem Sterling, who netted a brace as Chelsea beat the Foxes 2-1 in August, enhancing his record to 11 wins from 17 H2H meetings with Leicester (D2, L4).
Hot stat: Chelsea’s PL matches this season are averaging only 1.96 goals per game, the lowest in the division.
