In-form Chelsea are seeking a seventh successive home league win over Leeds United, whose most recent victory at Stamford Bridge came in December 1999.
Nonetheless, Leeds won this season's reverse fixture 3-1 and are looking to complete their first league double over Chelsea since the 1991-92 title-winning campaign.
Chelsea making most of favourable fixtures
Seven wins in nine games has been an impressive riposte by Liam Rosenior to those who questioned his appointment as Chelsea head coach five weeks ago. On Saturday, aided by Cole Palmer's club record fourth Premier League hat-trick, he became just the second English manager to win his first four matches in charge in the competition.
The first, Craig Shakespeare, went on to win his first five with Leicester City in 2017 but was sacked six months later. Rosenior will be well aware how quickly fortunes can turn.
Rosenior's lack of experience at a top-level club means he is considered by some to be a gamble. The odds have been in his favour so far thanks to a kind run of league fixtures; Leeds and Burnley are up next, meaning Chelsea will have played five top-flight games in a row against sides in the bottom six at the time.
Their record against teams in the lower part of the table is the third best in the division. The greater test for Rosenior and his players will be to sustain their form in the games that follow, starting on 1 March with a trip to Arsenal.
Whites flag on the road
Leeds United are one of two sides, along with Brighton, among the current bottom eight to have beaten Chelsea this season. That was a 3-1 victory for the Whites under the lights at Elland Road in December, and they made it five wins from five in night games at home this season by beating Nottingham Forest on Friday.
Manager Daniel Farke, who was understandably delighted with "a massive performance and a massive win", took four points from his two previous meetings with Rosenior when the latter was in charge at Hull City in the 2023-24 Championship season.
However, Leeds have only won two of their past 25 Premier League away fixtures – both against Wolves, in March 2023 and September this season.
They have seven away points this season from 12 games. Only Wolves and Burnley have a worse away record, and Leeds have earned a lower proportion of their points on the road than any other side in the division.
