Premier League action resumes after the final international break of the year, as Chelsea visits Leicester City to kickoff matchweek 12.
Enzo Maresca will make his return to King Power Stadium where he led Leicester City back to the top flight of English soccer a season ago. After a tough run of games, Chelsea's schedule now gets significantly more friendly on paper. Leicester City will be Chelsea's first game against a newly promoted side this year.
The Blues sit third despite its difficult schedule to start the season, albeit nine points back of league leaders Liverpool and only one point clear of ninth place, Aston Villa. The pack has bunched up in the fight for the top four in the Premier League, so Chelsea must string together wins in this lighter part of its schedule if it's to seriously contend for the UEFA Champions League positions.
Maresca announced that captain, Reece James will miss the game thanks to yet another hamstring issue. Other than that, the squad is healthy, although Romeo Lavia did pick up a slight discomfort playing for Belgium. Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo made a long journey back after playing in South America's World Cup qualifiers, leaving Maresca with interesting decisions as to which players lineup in his midfield base.
