Chelsea faces Leeds United at Stamford Bridge for matchday 26 of the Premier League. The Blues' performance has been increasingly strong since the hiring of manager Liam Rosenior, as they have accumulated four wins in the tournament and are in the top 5: they have 43 points, one point below Manchester United, 4th. It should be mentioned that, for now, only those qualified up to the fourth position will go to the next Champions League.

For its part, the Whites returned to the top division for this season and have left a positive impression, given they are not in a complicated relegation battle: they already have 29 points and hold a six-point advantage over West Ham, which marks the boundary of the relegation zone. However, the squad commanded by manager Daniel Farke is not fully secure, and it would be essential to earn points in this visit to dream of safety very soon.

The league version of the Lions is impressive, as they are on a run of four celebrations and with good scoring ability: they beat Brentford (2-0), Crystal Palace (3-1), West Ham (3-2), and Wolves (3-1). With this last victory, the London squad washed away the bitter taste of being eliminated during the semifinals of the Carabao Cup at the hands of Arsenal (0-1). It was one less title in the planning.

On their side, the Peacocks went through a minor sporting dip, drawing with Everton (1-1) and losing to Arsenal (0-4), but that did not diminish the squad's confidence. And well-focused on survival, there was a brilliant reaction to defeat Nottingham Forest 3-1, in a head-to-head in the lower section of the standings. The task is to repeat that form to continue climbing positions.

The main standard-bearer in Chelsea's attack is Joao Pedro, with nine goals and four assists; although he is not far superior to Enzo Fernandez, who has eight and two, respectively. And the one who has regained his shine is none other than Cole Palmer, who came from a hat-trick against Wolves and reached seven goals in the competition. That said, he is far from the 22 and 15 he achieved in two previous seasons.

And at Leeds, Dominic Calvert-Lewin has seen a redemption for his career that had faded at Everton: he already has 10 goals, a double-digit figure he had not achieved since 2020/21 (16). The '9' reactivated his killer instinct and scored against Forest. Obviously, his contribution would not be the same without Brenden Aaronson in midfield (three assists), and the absence of Anton Stach (hip injury), another creative player, is a concern.

The Blues emerge as the overwhelming favorites in this game, due to their solid performance and the capabilities of their individual stars. That makes the difference.

However, the Whites have shown efficiency in recent months, and that has helped them to dream of maintaining their place in the top category. At the same time, they enjoy great effectiveness.

Absences and injuries:

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