GLOBAL SOCCER

Leicester City could have been a lot worse if the Foxes had taken their chances in the second half in West London.

There’s no doubt that the Blues are on the up and have come on leaps and bounds from those defeats to the other top teams, but now is the time to prove it.

Blues fans don’t need a reminder of what happened last season in the trip to the Eithad.

To say Chelsea were hammered is a bit of an understatement. They were 4-0 down inside 25 minutes, with the match ending 6-0 courtesy of a Sergio Aguero hat- trick.

The Blues will need to rest that ghost and get through the first half unscathed.

Chelsea’s attacking prowess this season cannot be disputed, with 27 goals to their name already. But with 35, Manchester City lead the league in finding the back of the net.

So for all the attacking intent that Chelsea will want to show, i t w i l l b e i n the defensive areas that Chelsea will have their biggest test.

Fikayo Tomori and Kurt Zouma have started to build a partnership in the absence of Antonio Rudiger, while Lampard has a decision to make over the right- back position.

Does the Blues boss go for the old guard in Cesar Azpilicueta, or the new, up and coming star in Reece James to take on the formidable attack of City’s flying wingers?

Despite being a point ahead, Chelsea will go into the game as underdogs. But what would it mean to the Blues if they are beaten? Would those six wins in a row be all for nothing?

Of course, those 18 points will become vital for the end of season and have already created a game between them and those outside the top four.

But Lampard and Chelsea want to take the next step, and for them the next step is results against the top four.

Meanwhile, Guardiola would be boosted by the return to training of goalkeeper Ederson, after his recent muscular injury picked up in the Champions League three weeks ago. City’s number one will be a lift for the squad against Chelsea today.

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