Stuttgart covered this line on their own when these sides met earlier in the season, coming away 4-0 winners as Werder Bremen were reduced to 10 men in the second half. That clash marked the fourth consecutive head to head meeting between the sides that has produced 3+ goals, with Stuttgart notably failing to win any of the previous three clashes prior to their thrashing of Bremen.

Stuttgart have seen 3+ goals in four of their last five matches across all competitions, most recently coming away 2-1 winners over an in-form Freiburg side at home. They’ve been really strong at home this season, winning 11 of their 15 matches and scoring 26 goals in the process (1.73 per game). Werder Bremen’s 15 away games in the Bundesliga this season have produced 44 goals (2.93 per game), with the away side notably only managing to win three of these games. 

Rangers have won each of their last four matches in the SPFL, most recently coming away 6-3 winners over Falkirk which is a result that has moved them to within one point of the league leaders in Hearts. This weekend looks particularly significant for the three sides in the title race as Hearts travel to take on Hibs - a side that will be desperate to stop them getting close to the title as their main rivals.

Motherwell will also be an awkward task for Rangers, they’ve been the best side outside of the three vying for the main title and managed to claim a point against Danny Rohl’s side when they last met. However, Rangers have won 11 of their 17 home games this term, losing just one of these matches and will have to win games like this if they want to catch Hearts in the title race. Rangers play just before Hearts on Sunday too, so there isn’t a better opportunity to put direct pressure on the league leaders.

Motherwell have lost four of their last five matches in the SPFL, including losing to both Celtic and Hearts by the same scoreline (3-1). I’d put this recent form down to a bit of complacency, as Motherwell don’t have too much to fight for, but it also shows how there is a massive jump up in quality between the rest of the SPFL and the three sides going for the title.

Only Manchester United, West Ham and the two relegated sides in Wolves and Burnley have kept fewer clean sheets than Leeds (7) in the Premier League this season. BTTS has landed in both of the league meetings between the sides this season, and this should be quite an even semi final with Chelsea’s poor form levelling things when combined with Leeds’ recent upturn in momentum.

Chelsea only managed to keep four clean sheets across their 23 matches under Liam Rosenior before he got sacked, with these clean sheets coming quite cheaply too against the likes of Port Vale, Hull, Pafos and Brentford. Chelsea conceded 2+ goals in 11 of Rosenior’s matches, so it’s fair to suggest that Chelsea’s backline will be weak here as they continue to be without key players at the back such as Reece James and Levi Colwill.

Leeds managed to register an xG of 1.44 from just four shots when they visited Stamford Bridge a few months ago, showing how you don’t need loads of chances against this Chelsea side to hurt them. They also dominated Chelsea in the meeting between the sides at Elland Road, which finished 3-1 to Daniel Farke’s side, where they managed to register an xG of 2.79 from 17 shots despite only having 29% of the ball.

Inter can move 12 points clear at the summit of Serie A with all three points here following Napoli’s demolition of Cremonense yesterday evening. Inter have comfortably been the best side in the division this term, but have let the commanding lead they had just a few weeks ago be whittled down to nine points, though Inter do still have this game in hand to restore a decent lead at the top of the table.

Inter boast the best away record in Serie A this season having won 12 of their 16 matches on the road, notably only conceding 14 goals across these games. Only Napoli (11) and Lazio (12) have conceded fewer goals on their travels in the Italian top flight this term than Inter. The away side also beat Torino 2-1 in the most recent head to head meeting between the sides, marking Inter’s eighth straight victory over Torino in the head to head record. 

Torino have only won four of their 17 away matches in Serie A this campaign. It’s hard to see how they live with the scoring power of Inter, who have scored 31 goals on their travels, seeing as Torino have only scored 16 goals at home this season - suggesting that the home side regularly struggle to produce enough firepower to live with the elite sides in the division.

I can’t see Chelsea keeping a clean sheet here, they’ve only kept one across their last five matches - conceding 2+ goals in four of these matches. They’ve also conceded 2+ goals in both head to head meetings against Leeds in the Premier League this season, with one of the five goals that Leeds have managed against the West London side coming from Dominic Calvert-Lewin. 

His aerial presence in particular will cause Chelsea real problems here, they couldn’t handle that threat in the game between the sides at Elland Road and it’s hard to see that changing here with Chelsea still being without Levi Colwill and Reece James - their two best defenders. Even when those two are fit, there is a noticeable lack of height in this Chelsea side which makes them particularly vulnerable to a player like Calvert-Lewin.

Calvert-Lewin has registered more goal contributions than any other Leeds player in the Premier League this season (12). He also has a strong personal record against Chelsea, having also been a thorn in the side of the Blues during his time at Everton a few seasons ago.

Marc Cucurella is one of a few Chelsea players that should have a point to prove here. He probably feels a bit more responsible for the disaster that unfolded under Liam Rosenior as one of the more senior players in the squad - and has a strong foul and card record to further justify this motivation to get Chelsea back on the right track.

Cucurella has picked up six yellow cards and one red card across his 27 starts in the Premier League this season. Only Enzo Fernandez (8) and Moises Caicedo (9) have picked up more yellow cards than Marc Cucurella for Chelsea in the Premier League this season. He’ll have two opponents to deal with at times here with Leeds expected to line up in a 3-4-3 shape.

Cucurella will line up against Brendan Aaronsen and Jayden Bogle who combine to win 2.85 fouls per 90 in the Premier League this term. Bogle and Justin lined up down Cucurella’s side of the pitch in the most recent head to head meeting between the sides, both drawing 2+ fouls in that game as Cucurella was replaced at half time by Jorrel Hato. 

Ethan Ampadu has matured into a really reliable Premier League player after a few spells lower down the pyramid. He’s a former Chelsea player as well, so he’ll have an extra bit of motivation for this game when he lines up against his former club as captain of Leeds.

No Leeds player has picked up more yellow cards in the Premier League this season than Ampadu (8), showing how his role directly correlates to a healthy card count. He’s picked up two yellow cards across his four matches since the international break, and gets through quite a lot of work in the middle of the park - averaging 1.30 fouls committed per 90 in the Premier League this term.

Ampadu will face up against the likes of Enzo Fernandez, who was fouled three times when these sides last met, and Moises Caicedo (1.66 fouls won per 90). Both South American midfielders can cause Ampadu issues, and he may also have to check his shoulder at times for Joao Pedro - who is also very strong when it comes to winning fouls (1.83 fouls won per 90). 

Only Manchester United, West Ham and the two relegated sides in Wolves and Burnley have kept fewer clean sheets than Leeds (7) in the Premier League this season. BTTS has landed in both of the league meetings between the sides this season, and this should be quite an even semi final with Chelsea’s poor form levelling things when combined with Leeds’ recent upturn in momentum.

Chelsea only managed to keep four clean sheets across their 23 matches under Liam Rosenior before he got sacked, with these clean sheets coming quite cheaply too against the likes of Port Vale, Hull, Pafos and Brentford. Chelsea conceded 2+ goals in 11 of Rosenior’s matches, so it’s fair to suggest that Chelsea’s backline will be weak here as they continue to be without key players at the back such as Reece James and Levi Colwill.

Leeds managed to register an xG of 1.44 from just four shots when they visited Stamford Bridge a few months ago, showing how you don’t need loads of chances against this Chelsea side to hurt them. They also dominated Chelsea in the meeting between the sides at Elland Road, which finished 3-1 to Daniel Farke’s side, where they managed to register an xG of 2.79 from 17 shots despite only having 29% of the ball.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin could have had a hat-trick when these sides met earlier in the season. He scored with one of his three shots in that 3-1 victory, but was more of a threat than this total suggests. Chelsea simply couldn’t deal with the aerial ability of Calvert-Lewin, who bullied Badiashille and Tosin on that occasion - to the point where Badiashille had to be replaced at half time.

Calvert-Lewin has scored 11 goals across his 26 starts in the Premier League this season, which is a strong return for a striker leading the line for a relegation-threatened side. It’s also impressive that Calvert-Lewin has managed to stay relatively fit this season, that was always the main question mark surrounding him as it’s clear that he’s got the quality to play at this level.

Calvert-Lewin has taken 67 shots across his 26 starts in the Premier League this season (2.53 per 90), seeing 30 of these attempts find the target (1.13 per 90). It’s also worth noting that nearly half of Calvert-Lewin’s shots in the Premier League this season, working out to an average of 1.02 headed shots per 90. 

Enzo Fernandez committed a foul when these sides clashed at Stamford Bridge a few months ago, with Chelsea committing nine fouls in total during that game.

I thought Fernandez was pretty pathetic against Brighton last time out, he wasn’t the only one who looked to stop trying but there was no intensity in his game - which for a player of his personality and talent was almost certainly intentional and a bit of a damning reflection on how the Chelsea players felt about Liam Rosenior.

Fernandez has committed 30 fouls across his 31 starts in the Premier League this season (0.98 per 90), and is also averaging 7.20 defensive contributions per 90 in the top flight. He usually gets up for games like this, and will have three potential opponents here due to the way that Leeds set up in a 3-5-2.

Leeds racked up four corners in their 3-1 win over Chelsea at Elland Road earlier in the season and should look to utilise corners as an avenue to goal again, having scored their opening goal in that clash from a set piece.

Chelsea are really vulnerable from set pieces and corners in particular, this is an issue that extends beyond Liam Rosenior’s time at the club and relates directly to the profile of the young side. There isn’t much physicality at all in the Chelsea squad, and they can be bullied from these situations - as they were against Brighton who scored from a set piece after just five minutes during the week.

Chelsea allowed Brighton to register six corners in that game, and are conceding 4.32 corners per game in the Premier League this season - a total that rises to 4.59 corners conceded per game when on the road. Leeds’ corner average is also appealing ahead of this semi final, with Farke’s side averaging 4.41 corners per game in the top flight this term.

Craig Halkett has picked up more yellow cards than any other Hearts player this season (9).

Craig Halkett has picked up two yellow cards across his last five SPFL appearances.

Craig Halkett is averaging 1.14 fouls committed per 90 in the SPFL this term.

He's set to be faced up by Dane Scarlett and Owen Elding who combine to win 2.4 fouls per 90 in the Scottish Premiership this term.

Daniel Barlaser has been shown a card in each of his last three appearances in the SPFL, picking up five cautions across the campaign overall.

Barlaser committed a foul when these sides met earlier in the season, with Hibs committing 18 fouls and picking up three yellow cards in that clash.

Barlaser’s main point here is likely to be Claudio Braga, who was fouled twice in the most recent head to head meeting and is averaging 1.73 fouls won per 90 in the SPFL this season.