Chelsea vs Leicester LIVE: Premier League result, latest updates and reaction after Blues leapfrog Man City
Cole Palmer’s missed penalty did not prove to be decisive as Chelsea eventually got the better of threatened Leicester City in a rather dull Premier League encounter. The incentive for Enzo Maresca’s side ahead of the game at Stamford Bridge was victory would take them two points clear of Manchester City in fourth.
The Blues were far from their best but Marc Cucurella’s goal on the hour mark was worth the wait as he found the bottom corner with a stunning striker. In more good news, Wesley Fofana came through the unscathed and Moises Caicedo avoided a booking today which means he is free to face Arsenal next weekend.
As for Leicester, they remain second from bottom, six points from safety and have now lost their last five games in a row without scoring. Follow the game back below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Malik Ouzia at Stamford Bridge!
Chelsea vs Leicester latest news
GOAL! Cucurella breaks the deadlock on the hour
PENALTY MISSED: Palmer has spot-kick saved
How to watch: Not in TV in the UK
Chelsea secure vital win
16:47 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Chelsea are back into the top-four in the Premier League table following a 1-0 win over Leicester.
The Blues weren’t quite at their best at Stamford Bridge and needed a fine strike from Marc Cucurella to finally find a way past Mads Hermansen after the Foxes goalkeeper had saved a penalty from Cole Palmer.
With Manchester City losing to Nottingham Forest earlier in the weekend, coupled with Brighton’s last-gasp win over Fulham, the race for Champions League qualification is really heating up.
Read our full match report here!
Standard Sport's Malik Ouzia at Stamford Bridge
16:28 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Standard Sport's Malik Ouzia has delivered his reaction to Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Leicester
🗣 "They made hard work of it!"@MalikOuzia_ gives his thoughts on Chelsea's win over Leicester.
LIVE: https://t.co/31gQgTEs2P#CHELEI | #PremierLeague pic.twitter.com/bPAKhnTWIM— Standard Sport (@standardsport) March 9, 2025
Chelsea player ratings
16:13 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Tosin Adarabioyo 6
Got away with one bizarre moment when skewing header onto his own crossbar.
Levi Colwill 7
Terrific, brave clearance denied Jamie Vardy an open goal on rebound from Tosin header.
Marc Cucurella 8
Given licence to play high on the left and always a threat with runs to the back post. Then continued his recent happy knack of scoring with what could be a vital goal in top-four race.
Click here for our Chelsea player ratings!
Full-time
15:59 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Chelsea 1-0 Leicester
Marc Cucurella with the only goal of the game as Chelsea earn vital win.
Reaction to follow!
Chelsea 1-0 Leicester
15:57 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
90+4 min: Ricardo pulls the ball back into a dangerous area but Buonanotte can’t get there.
Leicester lose possession and George races up the pitch to win a corner. Would imagine Chelsea will take their time over this.
Chelsea 1-0 Leicester
15:56 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
90+2 min: PENALTY?
No! Leicester and Ruud van Nistelrooy want a penalty for a handball against Cucurella but nothing is given.
Chelsea 1-0 Leicester
15:54 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
89 min: Buonanotte delays on the ball and is superbly dispossessed by Caicedo.
SIX minutes of injury time to be played!
Chelsea 1-0 Leicester
15:52 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
88 min: Late Chelsea change sees Acheampong replace Nkunku.
Chelsea 1-0 Leicester
15:48 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
85 min: Nearly a dream return to action for Ricardo but his effort is straight down Sanchez’s throat.
Chelsea 1-0 Leicester
15:46 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
83 min: Leicester are really going for it now, Mavididi, Pereira and De Cordova-Reid all thrown on.
Chelsea 1-0 Leicester
15:43 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
79 min: PENALTY?
Looks like Coady raises him arm there to stop Sancho’s effort. VAR sticks with the on field decision of no penalty though!
Chelsea 1-0 Leicester
15:39 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
75 min: Brief delay in play as Daka requires treatment after a clash of heads with Ndidi.
He is fine to continue, but Leicester will be down to 10-men briefly.
Nkunku tries to find space for a shot but is crowded out and Daka is allowed back on to the pitch to help defend a corner.
Chelsea 1-0 Leicester
15:36 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
73 min: Leicester also make a change as El Khannouss is replaced by Buonanotte
Chelsea 1-0 Leicester
15:35 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
72 min: Double change by Chelsea.
Fofana replaced by Chalobah and Palmer is taken off for George.
Chelsea 1-0 Leicester
15:34 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
70 min: Loose pass from El Khannouss and Palmer is on to it, sees an effort blocked before Sancho suffers the same fate after the ball was worked over to him on the right.
Chelsea 1-0 Leicester
15:32 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
68 min: Important clearance from Tosin as he gets in front of, and is fouled by, Daka as the Leicester striker tried to divert Kristiansen’s cross goalwards.
Chelsea 1-0 Leicester
15:30 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
66 min: Swift Chelsea counter attack sees Fernandez attempt to catch Hermansen out at his near post but the Leicester goalkeeper has his angles covered.
Chelsea 1-0 Leicester
15:28 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
65 min: First change for Leicester
Winks replaces Soumare.
Standard Sport's Malik Ouzia at Stamford Bridge
15:25 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Enzo Maresca is out on the touchline whipping up the home fans with a look almost of annoyance on his face as everyone else celebrates that goal. Great strike from Cucurella.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Leicester | Marc Cucurella '60
15:24 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
60 min: GOALLLLL
The Blues finally have the breakthrough and it's a fine strike from Marc Cucurella. Afforded far too much space, the left-back takes the strike on and arrows an effort into the bottom corner.
Standard Sport's Malik Ouzia at Stamford Bridge
15:20 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
There are four Leicester substitutes out warming up but none at all for Chelsea at the moment. Very few attacking options on Maresca’s bench.
Chelsea 0-0 Leicester
15:19 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
55 min: Chelsea almost the makers of their own downfall as they lose possession in their own defensive third, Daka can’t work the ball back to Coady though before Sanchez bravely comes to collect a cross.
Chelsea 0-0 Leicester
15:17 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
53 min: Impressive solo run from Neto and he cuts inside and shoots but his effort is deflected for a corner which is whipped in by Fernandez and duly cleared by the Leicester defenders.
Neto then goes down in the box, but doesn’t get a penalty following a VAR check.
Chelsea 0-0 Leicester
15:15 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
51 min: Vardy fires an effort towards goal and it draws a save from Sanchez.
Chelsea 0-0 Leicester
15:12 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
49 min: Sancho trips Thomas and eventually the flag goes up to signal a foul and a free-kick for Leicester.
Chelsea 0-0 Leicester
15:10 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
46 min: Chelsea straight on the attack but Faes comes across to block Cucurella’s effort.
From the corner, the ball falls to Fernandez and he takes a couple of touches before clipping an effort into the side-netting.
Chelsea 0-0 Leicester
15:08 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Back underway at Stamford Bridge.
Half-time
14:51 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Standard Sport's Malik Ouzia at Stamford Bridge
HT: Chelsea the better side but at the moment that penalty miss feels huge. Leicester have not offered much threat, although strangely they have technically come closest to scoring. It has the potential to get very nervy in here.
Chelsea 0-0 Leicester
14:50 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
45+3 min: El Khannouss sees his pass for Vardy cut out and here come Chelsea on the attack, Neto is released, he picks out Nkunku whose shot is tipped over the bar by Hermansen.
From the following corner, Nkunku guides the ball back into a dangerous area but not a single Chelsea teammate gambled.
Chelsea 0-0 Leicester
14:48 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
45+2 min: Leicester have a corner as Fofana is forced to put the ball behind with Vardy lurking in the box.
Delivery is poor and cleared at the first post.
Chelsea 0-0 Leicester
14:47 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
45 min: Into SIX minutes of injury time.
Standard Sport's Malik Ouzia at Stamford Bridge
14:43 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
A nice reception for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall as he trots out to warm-up and is greeted by a burst of his song from the away end, to the tune of Wonderwall. Hasn’t quite caught on at Stamford Bridge yet…
Chelsea 0-0 Leicester
14:42 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
40 min: Great ball from Moises Caicedo to pick out Marc Cucurella in the box but his cut back is just behind his Chelsea team-mates and Leicester clear the danger.
Chelsea 0-0 Leicester
14:40 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
39 min: Leicester look to break from a Chelsea free-kick but Daka can’t take the ball with him.
Chelsea 0-0 Leicester
14:37 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
36 min: A collector’s item as Cole Palmer misses a penalty for the first time in the Premier League.
The first penalty miss of Cole Palmer's Premier League career ❌
But what about the save from Mads Hermansen? 🫨#CHELEI pic.twitter.com/sVYqyAyyLy— Premier League (@premierleague) March 9, 2025
Chelsea 0-0 Leicester
14:36 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
34 min: Chelsea want another penalty for a handball against Thomas. The claims were more from the supporters than anything else.
Sancho then curls an effort wide.
Chelsea 0-0 Leicester
14:29 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
28 min: Chelsea attack ends with Caicedo shooting straight at Hermansen.
Chelsea 0-0 Leicester
14:27 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
25 min: Leicester almost take the lead when Sanchez flaps at a cross and Tosin’s header comes back off the crossbar!
Had Vardy been alert, there was a tap-in for him.
Standard Sport's Malik Ouzia at Stamford Bridge
14:23 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
There was such a strange atmosphere in the minute or two that Palmer was waiting to take that penalty. Normally, it’s a foregone conclusion when he’s over the ball from 12 yards but you sensed an unusual nervousness, both from the player and the crowd.
Chelsea 0-0 Leicester
14:23 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
21 min: After a delay, Palmer steps up and....
PENALTY SAVED!
Palmer is denied by a superb save from Hermansen
Chelsea 0-0 Leicester
14:20 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
18 min: Caicedo rolls the ball out to Sancho who tries to pick out Fernandez but Ndidi is in the way.
Moments later, Chelsea win a penalty after Kristiansen trips Sancho.
Chelsea 0-0 Leicester
14:15 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
13 min: Both Neto and Faes are fine to continue after that nasty clash of heads.
Chelsea 0-0 Leicester
14:13 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
12 min: Game has resumed following medical attention for Pedro Neto and Wout Faes.
Standard Sport's Malik Ouzia at Stamford Bridge
14:12 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
A nasty clash of heads between Neto and Faes has drawn blood from the Portuguese and he’s getting his Terry Butcher look on as we speak. You’d have thought Faes’s barnet might have softened the blow but he, too, needs treatment.
Chelsea 0-0 Leicester
14:10 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
8 min: Another sight of goal for Palmer as he wriggles past El Khannouss but his effort is always rising.
Standard Sport's Malik Ouzia at Stamford Bridge
14:09 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
One thing you can say about Palmer is that even during this fallow run, he has never hidden. We’ve not had ten minutes yet and he’s already had two long-range efforts and had a hand in a penalty appeal.
Chelsea 0-0 Leicester
14:09 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
7 min: Leicester threaten for the first time as Justin’s cross is cleared to El Khannouss who strikes the ball at goal but the effort is straight at Sanchez.
At the other end, Palmer has an effort deflected behind for a corner.
Standard Sport's Malik Ouzia at Stamford Bridge
14:05 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Chelsea are pretty much playing a back-three in possession, with Marc Cucurella every bit as high on the left as Jadon Sancho is on the right.
It means Palmer, Fernandez and Nkunku can all play in those central attacking pockets.
Chelsea 0-0 Leicester
14:04 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
2 min: Cole Palmer goes down under a challenge from Luke Thomas but the Chelsea star doesn’t get a penalty. To be fair, there wasn’t much of an appeal from Palmer.
KICK-OFF!
14:00 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
We are underway in this Premier League clash.
Standard Sport's Malik Ouzia at Stamford Bridge
13:58 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
This is the closest I’ve been to Hasselbaink since he tore the England media team apart in a game against FA staff during the Euros last summer. In fact, he’s about 25 yards away from me here - which is probably closer than I got to him that day.
Here we go!
13:57 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
The players have emerged from the tunnel area and out onto the pitch.
Time for the player handshakes and then kick-off.
Standard Sport's Malik Ouzia at Stamford Bridge
13:52 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Dennis Wise has just been introduced to the crowd ahead of kick-off. Safe to say he got two very different receptions from the two sets of fans.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Kerry Dixon are here, too, as part of the club’s 120th birthday celebrations.
Not long now!
13:50 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Less than 10 minutes to go until kick-off at Stamford Bridge!
Final preparations
13:45 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Both sets of players have been put through their paces ahead of kick-off.
Enzo Maresca discusses Chelsea team selection
13:40 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Enzo Maresca has confirmed that there is no injury problem for Filip Jorgensen and that he has just decided to go with Sanchez today.
Also says that Malo Gusto is not being risked following the knock he picked up in midweek.
Around the grounds
13:35 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
This is one of three Premier League fixtures today with Tottenham hosting Bournemouth, and then Arsenal visiting Manchester United later.
Chelsea vs Leicester
Tottenham vs Bournemouth
Manchester United vs Arsenal - 4.30pm GMT
As it stands
13:30 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
With Manchester City losing yesterday, victory for Chelsea over Leicester City will take them into the top four of the Premier League table.
The Foxes, however, know they are resigned to spending another week in the bottom three regardless of today's result.
Standard Sport's Malik Ouzia at Stamford Bridge
13:25 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Moises Caicedo’s one to keep an eye on this afternoon. If he picks up a booking, he’ll be banned for London derbies against Arsenal and Chelsea either side of the international break.
He’s had nine already this season - including five in his last six league games.
Fofana starts
13:20 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Wesley Fofana has returned to the Chelsea starting XI for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury in early December.
The Frenchman was also an unused substitute against Southampton and was not eligible to face Copenhagen as he is not registered in Chelsea’s European squad, but will make his comeback against his former side.
Leicester changes
13:15 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
For Leicester, Conor Coady, Patson Daka and Luke Thomas come into the side as Ruud van Nistelrooy makes three changes to the team that started the 2-0 loss to West Ham last time out.
Chelsea changes
13:10 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
SEVEN changes in total for Chelsea as Enzo Maresca freshens things up from the 2-1 win over Copenhagen in midweek.
Wesley Fofana, Enzo Fernandez, Jadon Sancho and Pedro Neto are among those who return.
Romeo Lavia is on the bench.
Standard Sport's Malik Ouzia at Stamford Bridge
13:05 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Standard Sport's Malik Ouzia is in position at Stamford Bridge and has delivered his thoughts on the Chelsea XI, including Robert Sanchez’s selection!
🗣 "Robert Sanchez starts in goal, is that a permanent shift him coming back in as number one in the Premier League after some time behind Filip Jorgensen?"@MalikOuzia_ gives his thoughts on the Chelsea team news!
LIVE: https://t.co/31gQgTEs2P#CHELEI | #PremierLeague pic.twitter.com/UrAkNhasqz— Standard Sport (@standardsport) March 9, 2025
James absence explained
13:00 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Reece James is missing from Chelsea’s squad for Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Leicester because of illness.
James reported a fever and temperature on Saturday and was checked by the club’s doctor both last night and on the morning of the game, with the decision taken that the Blues captain is not fit to play.
Whether James would have started in any case is unclear, with Enzo Maresca having been particularly cautious with the Englishman’s workload given his prolonged struggle with a series of hamstring injuries.
Leicester team in full
12:55 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Leicester XI: Hermansen, Justin, Faes, Coady, Ndidi, El Khannouss, Kristiansen, Daka, Soumare, Thomas, Vardy
Subs: Stolarczyk, Okoli, Winks, Mavididi, De Cordova-Reid, Ayew, Pereira, Coulibaly, Buonanotte.
Chelsea team in full
12:50 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Fofana, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Sancho, Palmer, Nkunku; Neto
Subs: Jorgensen, Acheampong, Antwi, Badiashile, Chalobah, Amougou, Lavia, Dewsbury-Hall, George
Leicester XI
12:46 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Lining up for the visitors...
Your Stamford Bridge starting XI ✅#CHELEI pic.twitter.com/GgTRZuQGu8
— Leicester City (@LCFC) March 9, 2025
Chelsea lineup announced
12:45 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Here is the confirmed Chelsea XI...
Today's Blues. 🔵👊#CFC | #CHELEI pic.twitter.com/0v69mtnxiJ
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) March 9, 2025
Team news imminent
12:40 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
We are expecting the team news to be announced shortly.
Stay tuned...
Maresca vs van Nistelrooy part two
12:35 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
This is actually the second meeting between Enzo Maresca and Ruud van Nistelrooy this season!
The pair faced off back in November when van Nistelrooy was in temporary charge of Manchester United.
The game finished 1-1 at Old Trafford, but a repeat result this afternoon would be a surprise.
Maresca reveals Leicester preparations
12:30 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Enzo Maresca has revealed how his Chelsea squad have prepared for this afternoon’s clash against Leicester, which he describes as the first of 11 important remaining Premier League fixtures.
“We had some time off [after the Southampton game] which I think was needed after a tough run of fixtures, to help us all recharge a little,” he told reporters.
“Now we are back and we are working very hard, with the focus now on Leicester 100 per cent. From now until the end of the season, every match is an important game and it’s important that we understand that each victory at this stage of the season can help push you towards the Champions League places, whether that’s top four or top five.
“Like I said, we focus now on Leicester completely but then we have 10 very important games from now until the end of the season.”
Chelsea milestone
12:25 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
On Monday, Chelsea Football Club will be 120 years old and marking this milestone is a special matchday programme.
Leicester form
12:20 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Leicester are on a horrible run of form right now. Four defeats in a row, without scoring, it is looking like a tough ask for the Foxes to retain their Premier League status.
Given this run of form, any positive result this afternoon could be classed as a major surprise and head coach Ruud van Nistelrooy has outlined the approach his side must take in west London.
"The approach is how to approach the mental part. That is key because if you want to get the wins that are necessary, you have to not avoid losing. I understand that, in this situation, it’s a big part of it," he told reporters in the pre-match press conference.
“You start at 0-0, you have a result in hand and if you want to protect that too much the initiative goes and it’s hard to get wins.
“Of course, you have to look at certain opponents and how much initiative you will show and how much you need to control games but that can be found in the approach and game plans. It’s important that the approach is right.
“The approach has always been to get the maximum out of a game and always plan to win in one way or the other. If you can’t win, you want to protect the result in the end. It depends how the game goes. In that sense, it’s a similar approach to Sunday as all the other games.
“Of course, you have to recover from a bad result and rise again but this time be capable of doing it. We are not the only team in this situation, dealing with loss after loss. More teams are doing that around us and we have to make sure we are ready for Sunday.”
Predicted Chelsea XI
12:15 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Wesley Fofana is waiting to make his return from a hamstring injury of his own and could do so against his former club.
Fofana has not played since limping off in the home win over Aston Villa in early December and there were initially fears that he could miss the rest of the season, but the Frenchman returned to the matchday squad as an unused substitute against Southampton last week.
Having been left out of Chelsea’s European squad, Fofana was ineligible to face FC Copenhagen in the Conference League on Thursday, but Benoit Badiashile made his return from injury in that game to add to Maresca’s options at centre-back.
Malo Gusto is a doubt after being forced off early in Denmark, though Maresca’s post-match assessment of the full-back was upbeat. Chelsea have been wary about Reece James playing back-to-back matches, which could open the door to Josh Acheampong at right-back if Gusto is not fit.
Predicted Chelsea XI (4-2-3-1): Jorgensen; Acheampong, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Sancho, Palmer, Nkunku; Neto
Reece James hoping for Thomas Tuchel reunion
12:10 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Chelsea captain Reece James has revealed he has spoken to Thomas Tuchel about a potential England recall, as the new manager prepares to name his first Three Lions squad.
Tuchel, who officially took charge of England at the start of the year, is due to announce his first raft of call-ups next week ahead of 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia, having established a 55-man longlist.
He has held talks with a number of contenders in recent months, including many of those who were key figures under Gareth Southgate and others, like Arsenal’s Ben White and Tottenham’s James Maddison, who have not featured for some time.
Maresca ready to risk Caicedo
12:05 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca says he has no choice but to risk Moises Caicedo against Leicester this afternoon - even though he will miss derbies against Arsenal and Tottenham if he is booked.
Caicedo has been among the Blues’ most reliable performers this season and has started all 27 of their Premier League games.
However, the 23-year-old has picked up nine yellow cards in that time and will have to serve a two-game ban should he collect a 10th in any of the next five games.
Chelsea vs Leicester latest match odds
12:00 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Chelsea to win: 1/5
Draw: 9/2
Leicester to win: 10/1
Odds via Betfair and subject to change.
Chelsea vs Leicester: Head to head (h2h) history and results
11:55 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Chelsea wins: 63
Draws: 35
Leicester wins: 28
It finished 2-1 to Chelsea in the reverse fixture earlier in the season with Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez on target at the King Power Stadium.
Last time out against Leicester. 😍 pic.twitter.com/Z5Q48C1ST9
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) March 8, 2025
Standard Sport prediction
11:50 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
It remains difficult to definitively claim Chelsea are over their slump, given the quality of opposition they have faced of late.
However, Leicester are in such dire form that it’s difficult to see anything over than a Blues victory.
Chelsea to win, 3-0.
Leicester team news
11:45 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
The Foxes will be without Abdul Fatawu for the game. Ricardo Pereira could feature, along with Woyo Coulibaly.
Chelsea team news
11:40 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Chelsea are weighing up a return for Romeo Lavia this afternoon as Leicester visit in the Premier League.
Lavia has been struggling since mid-December with a hamstring problem and his absence has coincided with Chelsea’s mid-season dip in form.
After missing five Premier League matches, the midfielder briefly returned to play against Bournemouth and then Morecambe in the third round of the FA Cup in January, but has not been seen since.
Enzo Maresca has confirmed that the Belgian has returned to training this week, but he is not fit to start against Leicester.
How to watch Chelsea vs Leicester
11:35 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
TV channel and live stream: The game will not be broadcast in the UK because, initially, the fixture was scheduled for a 3pm GMT kick-off time on Saturday 8 March, 2025.
However, it was rescheduled for Sunday due to Chelsea’s involvement in the Conference League on Thursday night.
Sky Sports had already chosen Tottenham vs Bournemouth and Manchester United vs Arsenal as their live TV offerings on Sunday.
Free highlights: Supporters, however, will be able to watch highlights for free when Match of the Day 2 airs on BBC One at 10.30pm GMT on Sunday.
LIVE coverage: Follow all the action with Standard Sport’s dedicated match blog! Malik Ouzia will be providing expert analysis from the ground!
Welcome
11:30 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Chelsea vs Leicester City!
An important game for the Blues in their push for Champions League qualification as they can move back into fourth place with victory over the relegation-threatened Foxes.
We’ll have all the latest updates, build-up and team news ahead of kick-off, which comes at 2pm GMT from Stamford Bridge!