Alious
Chelsea travel to Elland Road on Wednesday night as heavy favourites, with many expecting them to sweep aside a Leeds side battling relegation under the pressure-stricken Daniel Farke. The Blues are in impressive form after earning standout results against Arsenal and Barcelona, while Leeds continue to stumble and slip deeper into the danger zone.
But despite the contrasting momentum, **Chelsea cannot afford complacency**. Several of Leeds’ current attackers have caused Chelsea problems in the past — a warning sign ahead of this fixture.
Leeds forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored multiple times against Chelsea during his Everton career. Dan James, although ruled out through injury, famously struck on his Manchester United debut when they thrashed Chelsea 4-0. Meanwhile, Jack Harrison and Brenden Aaronson also found the net against the Blues during their time at Leeds, although their goals came some seasons back.
Today’s Chelsea squad looks very different from the sides those players once punished, but as attacking threats, Enzo Maresca must still prepare a defensive plan. That task may become more complicated if captain Reece James starts on the bench as Maresca manages his playing time carefully.
A painful reminder: Chelsea’s 3–0 collapse at Leeds in 2022
Chelsea definitely do not want a repeat of their disastrous visit to Elland Road three years ago, when they fell 3–0 in a match remembered for all the wrong reasons. Aaronson, Harrison, and Rodrigo were on the scoresheet that day, while Edouard Mendy committed a costly error and Kalidou Koulibaly was dismissed late on.
Given Chelsea’s current form and title ambitions, another defeat of that magnitude would be shocking. On paper, the Blues should emerge with all three points — but **their past struggles against these Leeds attackers mean Elland Road could still present a real test.
Alious
