With Arsenal’s loss to Newcastle United yesterday, Chelsea FC have now officially qualified for Champions League next season with two games to play in this term. So when they welcome Leicester City into Stamford Bridge on Thursday night, they’ll be playing, mostly, for pride.
Doesn’t sound like the kind of game that suits Andreas Christensen at all, given the allegations surrounding the Barcelona bound central defender.
Unbelievable that Christensen told Tuchel he wasn’t ready to play in the cup final. No injury, just couldn’t be bothered. Whatever man, enjoy Barcelona AC.
— Conn (@ConnCFC) May 15, 2022
Chelsea FC vs Leicester City FYIs
Kick: 8pm GMT, Thur May 19, Stamford Bridge
Chelsea Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
After Extra Time Podcast: Spotify Apple Pods
Google Result Probability: Chelsea 70% Draw 18% Leicester City 12%
PL Position, Form: Chelsea 3rd, 70 pts, WDLDW Leicester City 9th, 48pts, WWLLD
Sarri on Christensen ????pic.twitter.com/1NKSZJj3jW
— Efo Filey ? (@efo_phil) May 15, 2022
Blues Team News
As you can see from the first embedded tweet above, he refused to play in the FA Cup Final loss to Liverpool on Saturday, and there are reports he bolted from the team hotel too. This news got former Blues boss Maurizio Sarri a trending term on Twitter yesterday, as football fanatics remembered when the Italian cut down Christensen a few years ago, claiming he really was lacking in professionalism.
Safe to say you won’t ever see him in a Blues shirt ever again.
Elsewhere, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz were late scratches from the Cup final, meaning they’ll face late fitness assessments here. Finally, Ben Chilwell won’t face his former team as he’s a long term absentee. Callum Hudson-Odoi remains on the shelf too.
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 on Twitter and Instagram.