The first Saturday 3pm start of Chelsea’s league campaign brings last season’s penultimate visitors, Leicester City, to Stamford Bridge. Both sides were disappointing performers last weekend and will be driven by the desire to make up for lost ground.

Two big misses for the Blues in this fixture last season, a sanctions-hit evening crowd, and the recent FA Cup final loss, contributed to a punctured paddleboard of a game. For the fourth time in 12 Foxes' visits the final score was 1-1, though the Blues have actually won two and drawn the other of our past three league meetings with Brendan Rodgers’ side.

Overall, the East Midlanders have managed just one clean sheet in their last 27 games on the road, while Rodgers has faced his old club 20 times, more than any other opposition, but tasted victory only twice.

• The key pre-Leicester stats and facts

With another league game for Chelsea on Tuesday, and cup opponents at home and abroad now identified, the momentum of this season is gathering pace.

Team news

There are two significant absentees for Chelsea on Saturday. Thomas Tuchel will likely serve his delayed touchline ban and Kalidou Koulibaly’s second yellow during the Leeds debacle rules the Senegal centre-back out for one match. Any weakening in defence is a blow to the Blues, who have conceded exactly twice as many goals (34) over the second half of the Bavarian’s 60 league games in charge as the first 30 (17).

Tuchel can still pick the team, of course, and may opt for Trevoh Chalobah at right centre-back to counter troubled Leicester’s strongest area, allowing Reece James to return to wing-back. There is also better news in midfield, where Mateo Kovacic has returned to readiness, though N’Golo Kante is unfit to face his former club. Kova’s reintroduction could be at the expense of Ruben Loftus-Cheek or Conor Gallagher.

Rodgers’ return

Brendan Rodgers, a successful youth team manager at Cobham, is a brooding presence on the sidelines as Leicester await their first three points of the season. The Northern Irishman has admitted his regular starting XI of recent seasons needed a refresh, but new signings have not been forthcoming. Instead, long-serving goalie Kasper Schmeichel has left and key defender Wesley Fofana is training with the under-23s.

At their best Rodgers’ team have passed the ball quickly and progressively, with incisive attacking play in midfield and on the flanks, and decisiveness upfront. At home to Southampton last weekend the Foxes started with fluid possession, but created no chances beyond the James Maddison set-play that opened the scoring – a sixth goal in seven games for the high-performing midfielder, who is a doubt for Saturday.

Once ahead his side did not press for more, their tails up, but rather stepped back. Once Saints rallied, hesitant defending meant Che Adam could have netted a hat-trick and many fans lost faith, downed their clappers, and left early. Energy levels look lower and there appears less bravery on the ball, especially from the back four, though Maddison and Harvey Barnes remain enterprising threats.

Unlike Chelsea, the Foxes faced a midweek excursion in the Carabao Cup, to League Two. With 10 changes to the line-up (Barnes retaining his place), they were masters of possession but inexpert on xG, the Europa League side progressing after a penalty shootout.

Five alive

A change of rules allows Premier League coaches to make five in-game substitutions this season and Thomas Tuchel has acted accordingly, using 13 of a possible 15. Only Manchester United’s Eric ten Hag has deployed the full quota so far, though, and at the other end of the scale Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers has made just seven replacements in three matches.

Most/fewest Premier League subs used

15 Man Utd
14 Brentford, Crystal Palace
13 Chelsea, Leeds
…
10 Bournemouth, Brighton, Fulham
9 Everton, Nottingham Forest, Wolves
7 Leicester

New era spending

The first transfer window of the Boehly/Clearlake era at Stamford Bridge will close at 11pm on Thursday, with squad trading next allowed in four months’ time. The new owners have made it clear they are prepared to invest as highly as any rival, and more signings may happen before the 1 September curfew.

After the club first changed ownership in April 1982 (for £1), new chairman Ken Bates’ opening acquisition was David Speedie from Darlington for £70,000, followed by veteran forward Bryan ‘Pop’ Robson, then Tony McAndrew and Joey Jones. That squad would occupy our lowest ever rung on the league ladder: 18th in Division Two.

Roman Abramovich’s summer 2003 takeover instigated one of the most remarkable buying sprees ever: Glen Johnson for £6m, Geremi £6.9m, Damien Duff £17m, Wayne Bridge £7m, Juan Veron £15m, Joe Cole £6m, Adrian Mutu £15.8m, Alexey Smertin £3.2m, Hernan Crespo £16.8m, Claude Makelele £13.8, and Neil Sullivan (free). That overhaul instantly inspired the Blues to a second-place finish.

Carabao Cup trip set

The draw for round three of the 63rd edition of the League Cup paired last season’s runners-up Chelsea with recent opponents in the final, and Raheem Sterling’s old side, Manchester City. One of the illustrious pair has contested each of the last five finals and in 2019 both were involved, the Citizens scooping the pot after a penalty shootout.

The competition opener will come at an interesting moment in the season: a few days before the Premier League’s six-week pause for the World Cup. Chelsea’s arrival means all three of the top-flight’s west London sides will visit the Etihad over eight or so days.

First steps to Istanbul

Thursday’s draw matched last year’s quarter-finalists Chelsea with one distantly familiar Champions League opponent, AC Milan, one recent foe, Red Bull Salzburg, and a fresh challenger in Dinamo Zagreb. Group E is an auspicious one: the path to both our wins in Europe’s elite competition began with that letter in the group stage.

Keeping up with the Jameses

Following Lauren James’s Lionesses call-up for upcoming European qualifiers, she and 13-capped sibling Reece could become the first brother and sister to represent England at senior international level.

Matchday 4 Premier League fixtures

Saturday

Southampton v Man Utd 12.30pm (BT Sport)
Brentford v Everton 3pm
Brighton v Leeds 3pm
Chelsea v Leicester 3pm
Liverpool v Bournemouth 3pm
Man City v Crystal Palace 3pm
Arsenal v Fulham 5.30pm (Sky Sports)

Sunday

Aston Villa v West Ham 2pm
Wolves v Newcastle 2pm (Sky Sports)
Nottingham Forest v Tottenham 4.30pm (Sky Sports)