In August, prior to the start of the season, Leicester City vs Chelsea would have been predicted as a clash between a team in the bottom half of the table against one looking to stay on top of the English Premier League standings. Well, that prediction is kind of right, even if the team struggling to get themselves from the bottom half of the table are Chelsea, while Leicester City are the ones looking to go back to the Premier League summit with a win at the King Power Stadium on Monday.
Leicester have been exciting, pulsating and outstanding under Claudio Ranieri this season, and deservedly find themselves competing for the title – how long that will last is up for debate, but for the here and now, there is no better team to watch than Leicester, with Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez leading the way in terms of entertainment quotient.
"To be top of the table I enjoy a lot because I watch how the players try to do what I want and that is fantastic for the manager," Ranieri, whose team will go two points clear of Arsenal with a win, said. "You work on the training sessions and make tactical movements and slowly you see your team try to do this.
"Sometimes you speak and explain and the player doesn't receive the message, but now they are very full of my recommendations."
This match will be particularly special for Ranieri, as he prepares to welcome his former team. That welcome, though, will stop there, with the Italian not exactly the greatest of fans of Chelsea's current manager – Jose Mourinho. The two haven't always seen eye to eye -- the relationship has got better over the years -- and neither will want to end up on the losing side come Monday.
While Chelsea might be languishing in 16th, one point above the relegation zone, Ranieri is not taking a win for granted. "I respect [Chelsea] a lot because I watched their match [against FC Porto in the Champions League]," Ranieri added. "They played very well and have very good concentration. They move the ball quickly.
"They are used to doing this, they are the champions. Sooner or later, they'll start [moving up].
"It was good for Chelsea to win and now in two or three months everything will change. I'm sure they will be ready to fight."
Last weekend's loss to Bournemouth was a big blow for Chelsea, because, after a couple of solid results, it was looking like they were finally on their way towards putting a run together and climbing back to the top half of the table.
While Chelsea bounced back well by beating FC Porto in the Champions League, and with it qualifying for the last 16, Mourinho will know the importance of following that win up with another against Leicester.
Where to Watch Live
Get the goals and highlights of the match HERE
Leicester City vs Chelsea is scheduled for an 8 pm local time (1.30 am IST, 4 am ET) start. Live TV coverage of the English Premier League match in India will be on Star Sports 1 and Star Sports HD1, while all the Premier League action can be watched via live streaming online on Starsports.com and Hotstar.
Sky Sports 1 will broadcast the Premier League match live in the UK, while the action between Crystal Palace and Everton can also be live streamed online on Watch Sky Sports.
Watch the EPL game live in the US on NBCSN, with the live stream option on NBC Sports Live Extra. Canada viewers can watch Leicester vs Chelsea live on TSN4, with the live stream option on TSN TV.
Australia viewers can catch the EPL action live on Fox Sports, while the online live streaming options are on Foxtel Play and Fox Sports EPL On Demand. Viewers in the Middle East and North Africa can watch the EPL match live on Bein Sports Arabia and Bein Sports Connect.
