Chelsea’s last two games up until Monday night appeared to have more riding on them with a place in the Champions League still not secure, but Newcastle’s win over Arsenal has relieved Thomas Tuchel of much tension over the next four days as the season concludes at Stamford Bridge.
The visit of Leicester provides a chance to brighten the mostly downbeat mood around Chelsea after a third successive FA Cup final heartbreak and several weeks of poor performances.
Tuchel might feel inclined to experiment given the security of the top four and only needing one point to guarantee third place, the reverse fixture at the King Power feels like a very long time ago back in November, when Chelsea had both Reece James and Ben Chilwell fit, comfortably beating Leicester 3-0 to go top of the league.
A repeat here would secure their best points total from a Premier League season since the 2016/17 campaign under Antonio Conte, which even if placed in the context of a large gap to Manchester City, should still be viewed as progress.
Join Adam Newson, Scott Trotter and Daniel Childs for all the coverage leading up to and beyond kick-off at 8pm.
