It was a long old trek back from freezing St Petersburg and now Chelsea face the usually arduous task of taking on Marco Bielsa’s Leeds United at Stamford Bridge.

It is a battle of the ages, evoking shuddering challenges, broken scoreboards, double red cards and last-minute winners at Old Trafford. Given the spice sprinkled over this festering vendetta, it is surprising no UK broadcaster fancied it.

This is also the first of three games over nine days for the deposed Premier League leaders that offer the chance of a reboot. All the top three have home matches this Saturday, though the other two played their final European fixtures a day earlier than the third-placed Blues.The visitors are winless in their past six matches against Chelsea across all competitions since December 2002, though this is Thomas Tuchel’s first encounter with them at the Bridge. A year ago this month it was Frank Lampard’s Blues who saw off the Yorkshiremen 3-1 despite Cobham graduate Patrick Bamford’s early opener. The Londoners went top of the table (albeit briefly) as a result.

Neither combatant has been in great form. The hosts have taken four points from the last possible nine while for Leeds, who visit Manchester City on Tuesday, it is five. The visitors could drop as low as 17th this weekend.

Chelsea team news

Tuchel was understandably aggrieved his team conceded six goals and squandered four leading positions in two matches and will be determined to stop the rot on Saturday. The Bavarian identified concerns including a drop in physical commitment below what is required to see out a win.

The Chelsea squad only touched down in England in the early hours of Thursday, while the visitors have been able to prepare all week. It is not the ideal prelude to playing a side averaging more than 2km of sprints in games, the most across Europe’s top leagues.

The Blues will have to match that exertion but also protect the penalty area better against a team whose shot-creation numbers belie their current lowly position. And for 90 minutes: Zenit’s equaliser was the third costly strike conceded in seven games in the final 10 minutes of matches.

There was an unfamiliar looseness in some parts of the Blues team in midweek, but that can always come with unfamiliar partnerships. Hopefully the benefit of resting several regulars in St Petersburg will show at a Stamford Bridge that always loves to heap misery on the Yorkshiremen.

Tuchel has to be creative in his selection again though, as Ruben Loftus-Cheek withdrew injured before kick-off in Russia, just as our central midfield resources are at their lowest. It is not yet certain which middlemen, if any, will make Saturday’s game though Reece James was commanding and comfortable in a holding role against Zenit.

There were several other positives for the Londoners on Wednesday night, especially Timo Werner scoring twice (the first our quickest ever in the competition) and having a hand in the other goal. Two came from slick moves, and one was significant: Romelu Lukaku’s first strike in royal blue since his winner against the same opponents in September. He had not previously started a game after returning from injury.

Chelsea attackers accounted for all three goals – something that had not happened before in any game this season. There were also signs of the Belgian’s renewed mobility as he drifted into the right-side channel, a habit that brought him such success at Inter.

Also Kepa Arrizabalaga, gaining vital game time ahead of Edou Mendy’s January departure to the Africa Cup of Nations, kept the scoreline down with some sharp point-blank saves.

Whites have woes too

Marco Bielsa has spoken out against the workload imposed on footballers and has seen his injury list grow again since the Brentford game last weekend.

Luke Ayling and Patrick Bamford returned in that 2-2 home draw but the striker tweaked a hamstring that will rule him out against his former club. Similar injuries afflicted middleman Kalvin Phillips and centre-back Liam Cooper, while attacker Rodrigo has a heel issue and defensive midfielder Robin Koch is ill.

It does not help one of the least experienced squads in the division that Koch and Cooper, mainstays at the back, are sidelined. The visitors have recorded just three clean sheets in the league, though two were in the past three games.

Most keenly felt, though, may be the loss of Phillips and Bamford, who combined for the visitors’ opener in this match last season. Adam Forshaw could continue in midfield unless Pascal Struijk moves from left-back, the position Junior Firpo started in against the Bees. Winger Daniel James has often filled in during Bamford’s lengthy absence, although Wales striker Tyler Roberts started the last two. Their top scorer is Raphinho with six.

Leeds like to dominate possession and have been mastered in that respect only twice in the campaign: the 3-0 home defeat by Liverpool and last month’s 0-0 draw at Brighton. They approach the game man-for-man all over the field and although this often unsettles opponents, the best teams can play through the high-energy pressing to expose gaps.

Under Bielsa they have a well-earned reputation for open, attacking football but have committed the second most fouls in the top flight this season (180) and have the most cautions to their name (41, shared by 17 players).

Two-year itch

Leeds go into this weekend 15th in the table on 16 points, four points shy of the same stage last season, their first in the top tier since 2004. At present they are six points clear of the drop zone, though Burnley, in 18th, have played a game fewer.

Last season fellow Yorkshiremen Sheffield United became the latest victims of the Premier League phenomenon psychologists (okay, journalists) call ‘Second Season Syndrome’. This is the notion that promoted teams who perform well in the first campaign after their elevation are ‘found out’ in the second and struggle, even to the extent of a quick return to the Championship.

Some are putting Leeds in the frame to join Ipswich, Wigan, Reading, Birmingham and others, but it generally takes a catastrophic collapse in form. Chris Wilder’s side, for example, won only one of their opening 19 fixtures, eight losses in their last six condemned Birmingham, while Reading and Wigan both suffered eight consecutive defeats. Such a plummet does not look likely under Bielsa.

Twelfth-month twinge

The tradition in Tudor England during Christmas revelries was for Lords of Misrule to create chaos, but Chelsea will want to avoid the recent bad habit of stumbling in multiple games in December. Last season the Blues lost three of the eight fixtures across all competitions, winning three and drawing the remaining two.

In December 2019 the Londoners also lost three times, something that had not happened in any calendar month since October 2015 and not in that month specifically since 2003.

It is not all festive season gloom. In 2016 we managed six straight wins in the run-up to Christmas, and when we lost at West Ham in December 2017, it was the only set-back in almost three months of league games.

Tight for top three over festive season

Sufficient recovery time between action is one of the keystones of modern sports science but the Premier League will make big demands of its stars from now until 19 December.

Chelsea will have had just eight days to rest and prepare between four fixtures going into the Wolves game. Top three rivals City and Liverpool are barely better off with nine.

Next three fixtures:

Man City Wolves h (3 days), Leeds h (2), Newcastle a (4)Liverpool Villa h (3), Newcastle h (4), Tottenham a (2)Chelsea Leeds (2), Everton h (4), Wolves a (2)

Discipline deadline looms

Until after the 19th Premier League fixtures (Boxing Day for Chelsea) are over, players who accumulate five cautions must serve a one-match suspension. With four games to go Chelsea have two players on three bookings: Marcos Alonso and Reece James. Saturday’s opponents Leeds currently have four players on four: Liam Cooper, Raphinha, Rodrigo and Tyler Roberts.

Upcoming opponents’ yellow card count:

Everton Digne 4, Doucoure, Godfrey, Townsend 3Wolverhampton Jimenez, Kilman, Saiss 3Aston Villa Cash, McGinn, Mings 4, Luiz, Nakamba 3Brighton Bissouma, Lallana, Maupay, Veltman 4, Cucurella 3

Richarlison (Everton), Neves (Wolves), and Duffy (Brighton) will have served bans before facing Chelsea.

Matchweek 16 Premier League fixtures

FridayBrentford v Watford 8pm (Sky Sports)

SaturdayMan City v Wolves 12.30pm (BT Sport)Arsenal v Southampton 3pmChelsea v Leeds 3pmLiverpool v Aston Villa 3pmNorwich v Man Utd 5.30pm (Sky Sports)

SundayBrighton v Tottenham 2pmBurnley v West Ham 2pmLeicester v Newcastle 2pm (Sky Sports)Crystal Palace v Everton 4.30pm (Sky Sports)