Leeds United v Chelsea: Blues can win a thriller

Marsch madness unlikely to subside

There many differences between Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch and his predecessor Marcelo Bielsa, but there plenty of similarities too. Both have a slavish dedication to their way of playing, and both invite a certain degree of chaos into their matches.

Last weekend's 2-2 draw at Southampton was a great example - the Whites were 2-0 up and in control at St. Mary's, but Marsch didn't attempt to shut up shop, and Saints found a way to level at 2-2.

In the early part of last season, Marsch was busy trying to sell his high-energy, high-intensity playbook to an RB Leipzig squad that had grown accustomed to the tactical nuance provided by Julian Nagelsmann. American Marsch never won those players over, and was dismissed after just four months.

That's not to say that Marsch isn't a good coach, or that his methods don't work. It's just that he needs buy-in from his players, and patience from his employers. Staying up with Leeds last season bought him some authority, and Red Bull graduates Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson will preach from the book of pressing and verticality, having arrived at Elland Road in the summer.

With Raphinha having joined the Barcelona revolution, and with Patrick Bamford plagued by injury (he lasted 28 minutes in Southampton), Spanish international striker Rodrigo has stepped up, scoring three goals in the first two PL games of the season. Indeed, he is the only outfield player to score for LUFC across the first two top-flight matches.

The former Valencia forward knows a good run between now and the World Cup will enhance his chances of going to Qatar, and he banged in five goals in pre-season, including a hat-trick against Cagliari.

Bamford and Liam Cooper are injury doubts here, while Junior Firpo, Luke Ayling and Stuart Dallas are all sidelined.

Tetchy Tuchel on the right track

As hilarious as Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel's dramatic spat with his foe Antonio Conte was after the pulsating 2-2 draw with Spurs, it shouldn't distract from a very good Blues display. Tuchel's gameplan nullified Tottenham in the first half, and those tactical tweaks are an illustration of why the new regime at Stamford Bridge is keen to hand the wiry German a new contract.

Tuchel has not only led the club to a Champions League success, but he has also steered the good ship Chelsea through some awkward waters, as the Roman Abramovich era came to a swift and unexpected conclusion.

Tuchel's reward for navigating that uncertainty has been to get a sizeable chunk of cash to remould his team. Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella are all excellent signings, and the proposed acquisition of Barcelona forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang makes sense. The Gabon striker is a proven performer in England, and worked very well with Tuchel at Borussia Dortmund.

Qualifying for the Champions League is the minimum requirement, and the true aim will be to get as close to Manchester City in the title race as possible. Last season, the West Londoners ended up 19 points adrift of the eventual champions, and they suffered cup final heartbreak not once but twice against Liverpool.

Remarkably, Tuchel has already managed Chelsea in six cup finals, including the Club World Cup final and the UEFA Super Cup, both of which he won.

Chelsea are a little light in midfield, with N'Golo Kanté and Mateo Kovacic out of action. Ruben Loftus-Cheek may get the nod, after playing well against Tottenham.

Chelsea to maintain their dominance

Our friends at Opta tell us that Chelsea have gone seven games unbeaten against Leeds in the Premier League, and last term the Blues won this fixture 3-0. Indeed, since Tuchel's first away game in the PL as Chelsea boss, only Manchester City have won more road games in the top flight.

Leeds have lost six of their last ten home games in the league, and had to come from behind to beat Wolves on the opening weekend of the season.

I'll use the Bet Builder to double up a Chelsea win with an Over 2.5 Goals bet at 2.111/10. Leeds have seen 15 of their last 19 top-flight games feature at least three goals, while at Elland Road an overs bet has landed in 13 of the last 20 in the top division.

Rodrigo to maintain momentum

While I can't see Leeds making a huge impact in this game, I'll happily back the in-form Rodrigo to at least have a shot on target at 2.111/10 on the Sportsbook. The Spaniard has had four shots on target in just two league games, and has scored from three of them.

Last season he averaged 0.68 shots on target per match, and in the campaign before that, the figure was a healthier 1.19. Given that he's in terrific form, and may well spearhead the attack in Bamford's absence, odds-against for just one shot on target's an attractive price.