Leicester vs Chelsea: 5 key matchups that could go either way

Ricardo Pereira vs Emerson

Here’s a riddle for you – if Wilfried Ndidi and N’Golo Kante are not leading the league in tackles, well, who is? Is it… Virgil van Dijk? Aaron Wan Bissaka? Perhaps, Declan Rice?

Nope. It’s the man that’s quietly putting together an incredible season – Ricardo Pereira.

The Portuguese right-back silently surpasses his teammate Ndidi to become the king of tackles in the Premier League – and has not looked back, averaging 4.5 tackles per game.

I have another one for you. Who’s leading Leicester City in dribbles completed?

If you’re a man of pattern, you should know the answer is the same – Ricardo Pereira.

The right-back is not afraid to bomb down the line and join the attack, completing 2.2 dribbles per game. He is a key reason why the Foxes love attack down the right-hand side, with 40% of their attack coming from there.

That is a huge worry for the Blues, especially with Reece James out. Their primary defense is … Emerson?

Obviously the game of football is not just singular matchups, and it would certainly take a team effort to slow down the marauding Portuguese. Regardless, Emerson will have both of his hands full of both limiting and attacking Pereira.