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Football pundit Michael Owen has predicted a Chelsea victory when the Blues take on Leeds United. Thomas Tuchel's side host the Peacocks tonight (December 11) on Matchday 16 of the Premier League.
Owen believes Chelsea will pick up a 2-0 victory to get their campaign back on track after a 3-2 defeat at West Ham last weekend. In his column for betVictor, he wrote:
"I didn’t see that defeat to West Ham coming for Chelsea. To have led twice and come away from the game with nothing is very unlike Chelsea, as was the nature of the goals. I expect to see a response from Chelsea here. This looks a good matchup, and I can see them winning 2-0."
Leeds United, meanwhile, come into this game on the back of a thrilling 2-2 draw with Brentford. Marcelo Bielsa's side went ahead in the first half, but conceded twice in seven second-half minutes to fall behind. Patrick Bamford, on his return from injury, found the back of the net late on to give Leeds a share of the spoils.
Owen praised the Peacocks for fighting back and deemed it an important point ahead of a tough run of fixtures. After their match against Chelsea, Leeds face Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool in the space of 11 days. Owen wrote:
"Leeds struck late to get that equaliser against Brentford, but I do think they deserved it. They’ve got some tough fixtures ahead though, so that point is valuable."
Chelsea are favorites to beat Leeds United despite recent wobble
Chelsea currently sit third in the Premier League, having picked up 33 points from 15 matches. Thomas Tuchel's side began the 2021-22 season in some style but have suffered a wobble of sorts in recent weeks.
The Blues have won just one of their last four matches in all competitions. But more than the results, Chelsea's performance levels seem to have taken a beating in recent times. Tuchel's side have lacked a cutting edge in attack and are now beginning to leak goals as well.
Chelsea have conceded an alarming six goals in their last two matches against West Ham and Zenit St. Petersburg. They have also managed to keep a clean sheet in only one of their last five Premier League fixtures.
The upcoming match against an inconsistent Leeds United will be a good opportunity for the Blues to get their defensive solidity back. Marcelo Bielsa's side are currently 15th in the Premier League with just 16 points and have scored only 15 league goals this season.
