Chelsea heads to Leeds United on Sunday in a Premier League match that has a lot of red, white and blue overtones. It’s a Star-Spangled affair one could say. What we are referring to here is the strong American element present on both sides.
Leeds has an American manager in Jesse Marsch and two USMNT stars in Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson. Call them Leeds United States of America.
Leeds United vs Chelsea FYIs
Kick: Sun Aug. 21, 2pm Elland Road
Chelsea Starting XI Prediction: go here
After Extra Time Podcast: Spotify Apple
VAR: Paul Tierney Referee: Stuart Attwell
Google Result Probability: Chelsea win 66% Draw 22% Leeds United win 16%
Series History: Leeds United wins 0, Draws 1, Chelsea wins 4
Chelsea, meanwhile, have a new American owner this season, and they also picked up one of the most promising young goalkeepers in the world during this transfer window, Gaga Slonina of the Chicago Fire.
Captain America already plays for them, but it’s getting clearer every week that he needs to find a new club right now.
Now, let’s move on to the fitness issues.
Chelsea Team News
N’Golo Kante suffered a fresh hamstring injury in the Battle of the Bridge while Mateo Kovacic has seen a flare-up of his re-occurring knee injury. Both are out of commission here and will likely be shelved for about a month.
Also ruled out is Marcos Alonso, and he is fit, but with his imminent transfer to FC Barcelona being finalized, he won’t be risked.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him and the website on Twitter and Instagram.