While the League Cup is hardly viewed as an important competition by most of the top sides, it could have moved up a notch for Chelsea following their Club World Cup final defeat at the weekend.

With trophies and championships slipping out of their fingers at an alarming rate, Rafael Benitez will certainly be cautious as he takes his Blues side to take on Leeds who will be desperate to cause a scalp and make an even bigger name for themselves.

Of course, the Whites have already caused their fair share of upsets this term having already beaten top flight sides Everton and Southampton in the competition. It could be said that such results have contributed to a weakened league position, with Neil Warnock's men slipping down the Championship table over recent weeks as they sit in 12th place. Considering all of the rebuilding Warnock initiated in the summer, such a position has not been received well by the club's supporters – although it is still worth mentioning that they are just four points away from the top six, meaning anything could happen in the final months of the season.

In terms of their most recent form, the Elland Road outfit have seemingly recovered from the slump they found themselves in through November after they picked up just one point from four matches. Instead, they have now won four of their last five, with the sole defeat being a 3-1 loss to Derby last week. Something else that will provide the Whites with a huge confidence is their home form and having won their last three at Elland Road, they'll be rubbing their hands together at the prospect of hosting Chelsea.

To say morale is low at Stamford Bridge is an understatement and it could be said that this is a no-win game for Rafael Benitez. Should the Blues beat Leeds, they will be doing nothing out of the ordinary and winning against a side who they really should be succeeding against. However, should they lose, the tables will turn completely – this will be two tournaments that Benitez has overseen failure in through a matter of days. Admittedly, the tie against Corinthians on Sunday was a real tough one considering all of the exotic circumstances – but that won't help Benitez, he needs to do something fast if he is to convert his own supporters who despise him.

Even though Chelsea may have failed in their Club World Cup final fixture, it should be pointed out that they had won three games prior to that. Only one of those was in the Premier League, but there is a small amount of evidence that suggests the Blues are slowly returning to their former glory. Unfortunately for them and Benitez, such a turnaround is probably already too late for the Premier League and it would take something of a miracle for them to win the division this term.

That means there is an incredible amount of pressure on their shoulders for this event. Not only do they have to avoid the giant killing, but they will be competing for arguably one of their easiest, albeit less glamorous, pieces of silverware. However, following all of the traveling to and from Japan over the last week, it remains to be seen what state the club's players will be in.

If one was to offer a prediction for this game, it really is a difficult one to foresee. On paper, Chelsea are the clear winners, but Elland Road is a daunting place at the best of times, not least when everything appears to be going against you. With the Blues having to contend with such a tiring schedule of late and with their opponents well and truly up for a giant killing, we think the home side will at least take this game to extra time with a 2-2 score line. From this point, anything could happen, but we have a sneaky suspicion that the Whites could nick this one and progress to the semi-finals of the competition.

Leeds vs Chelsea Betting Tips

2-2 Correct Score – 14/1 with Blue Square (click here get £25 free)

Leeds to qualify – 12/5 with Bet365 (click here get £200 free)

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Author Biography

This preview was written by Liam Riordan, who is certainly not unfamiliar with the League Cup as he runs his own betting bonus website.