Football Focus

Dan Walker, with guests Dion Dublin & Tim Cahill, are pouring over the key deals of the transfer window while also looking ahead to the weekend's Premier League action on Football Focus now.

Use the play icon at the top of this page to watch live.

Alan Shearer
Former Newcastle and England striker on BBC Radio 5 Live

I'm not surprised Kepa has been dropped. I was at the Chelsea game against Newcastle and I was seven or eight yards behind Frank Lampard at Stamford Bridge and some of the mistakes Kepa made in that game, and Frank's reaction to him that night, I could tell there was a lot of anger there, a lot of disappointment in the performance.

Image source, Rex Features

Jamie Vardy remains the Premier League's top scorer - despite failing to score on the top-flight stage in 2020.

Vardy has hit 17 of Leicester's 52 Premier League goals but has not scored in his last four league matches, equalling his longest drought under Brendan Rodgers.

Image source, Reuters

Martin Fisher
MOTD commentator at the King Power Stadium

It is third versus fourth and, although both sides have been inconsistent recently in the Premier League, they remain firmly on course for a top-four finish and Champions League football next season.

Leicester suffered a major blow on Tuesday with the late defeat at Aston Villa denying them their first cup final in 20 years. Brendan Rodgers will be hoping there's no hangover against a Chelsea side that boasts a terrific record at the King Power Stadium.

Frank Lampard's men may have dropped soft away points since the turn of the year but overall they are still more productive on the road than at Stamford Bridge.

Image source, Getty Images

Paul Malecki: I see Kepa is on the bench. Can we get the odds on him refusing not to start and seeing him stood between the sticks come kick off?

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard: "We know Leicester are a good side it hasn't gone amiss on us. They are a very good team, we played them earlier in the season and we saw that, so we'll need to be really competitive."

On leaving Kepa Arrizabalaga out: "It's a decision I make. With keeper you don't take those ones lightly. They train together, they are are close and it's one I thought I'd make for this game. I trust in Willy, he's very professional."

On Tammy Abraham: "Sometimes you have to play with a bit of pain. He's not got a muscle injury you hope he can deal with it. We wanted to get him on the pitch and he's trained the last two days."

Image source, Getty Images

Chris Roades: re Chris in Aylesbury (11:18), and the suggestion that Ighalo will "work his socks off" ask any Watford supporter about that, and they'll tell you Ighalo was one of the laziest players they've had and couldn't wait to offload him.

Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers: "It’s part of the journey [losing to Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup], you hope to get to finals and when you don’t it is a sore one. But you have to take it and use it to move forward.

"I’ve got a great group, who are very honest and within a couple of days they were back on it. With 14 games to go it’s about getting as many points as we can."

On Wilfred Ndidi's late withdrawal: "He’s felt a pain in his knee, he recently had an operation but was alright against Villa.

"We had him in to play but it’s become very sore. Rather than him go out in the warm-up we thought we’d leave it. We don’t want any long term problems."

Image source, Getty Images

Jonny Evans and Kasper Schmiechel have started all 25 of Leicester's league games this season. If/when the Foxes qualify for the Champions League, these two deserve big praise.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, BBC Sport

Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers makes one change to the side that thrashed West Ham 4-1 in their last Premier League match.

Nampalys Mendy remains out so Hamza Choudhury starts in midfield after Wilfred Ndidi was removed from the starting XI late on, due to a sore knee. Ndidi had been set to make his first league start since 1 January.

Leicester City XI: Schmeichel, Pereira, Evans, Soyuncu, Chilwell, Choudhury, Tielemans, Maddison, Barnes, Perez, Vardy

Subs: Ward, Justin, Albrighton, Iheanacho, Gray, Praet, Fuchs

Image source, BBC Sport

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard makes four changes to the side that started the 2-2 draw at home to Arsenal in their last Premier League outing.

Tammy Abraham, who suffered an ankle injury against the Gunners, is fit to start but Willy Caballero replaces Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal. Pedro, Mason Mount and Reece James also start in place of Emerson, Mateo Kovacic and Willian.

Chelsea XI: Caballero, James, Rudiger, Christensen, Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Kante, Mount, Abraham, Pedro, Hudson-Odoi

Subs: Arrizabalaga, Alonso, Barkley, Willian, Kovacic, Batshuayi, Tomori

John Southworth: For a player who wanted to play no matter what, I am dissapointed in how Olivier Giroud has been handled by Frank. Refuse a move and then not even on the bench. He has been so professional as well.

Tor Noppharat: I get how Caballero got the nod. But I don’t get why Giroud didn’t even get a look in. He might not be that fast but I’m sure he offers another quality for our attack.

What now for Olivier Giroud?

Chelsea's France World Cup winner was heavily linked with a move to Tottenham during the January window.

But Blues boss Frank Lampard did not want to let Giroud, 33, go unless he could bring in a like-for-like replacement for the forward.

Transfer deadline day came and went - with Giroud staying where he is.

He has made just two Premier League starts this season - his last on 30 November - and does not even make the substitutes bench today.

Prior to Chelsea's FA Cup win at Hull last week, Frank Lampard was specifically asked about Kepa Arrizabalaga's form and criticism that the keeper has taken recently.

Here's what he had to say: "He’ll have to deal with that because that’s what football is.

"Every player, no matter how good or great you are in your career, even the best get criticism and that’s what players have to deal with.

"Goalkeepers may have slightly more of a spotlight on them but it’s a similar thing really. The important thing is not get too embroiled in what the outside world is saying and just look at your own game, look at yourself, how hard can you work – those are always the basics. This is not just Kepa, it’s any player. If you’re lacking form, you have to fight to get it back."

Image source, PA Media

It's all about trying to seal a place in next season's Champions League in the early kick-off. Leicester, who reached the quarter-finals last time they were in it, have a great chance of joining Europe's elite. Brendan Rodgers' side are 14 points clear of fifth-placed Manchester United with 14 games left.

Image source, PA Media

Chelsea

Frank Lampard has just told BT Sport that Kepa Arrizabalaga is not injured.

"It's a decision I have not taken lightly," the Chelsea boss adds. "I trust in Willy Caballero, I trust in both keepers."

Massive call from Frank Lampard! Willy Caballero starts in goal for Chelsea with Kepa Arrizabalaga on the bench. It's Caballero's first Premier League start since keeping a clean sheet away to Leicester on 12 May last season. Full team news from the King Power coming up.

Image source, Reuters

As mentioned earlier, the Premier League's inaugural winter break starts after this weekend.

Here, BBC Sport explains how it will work.

The schedule, agreed in June 2018 between the Football Association, the Premier League and EFL, sees each teams get a weekend off in February 2020.

BBC Radio 5 Live

BBC Radio 5 Live will have full commentary of Liverpool's game with Southampton at Anfield from 15:00 - in addition to updates from all of the day's other seven top-flight matches.

Image source, Getty Images

For Liverpool to mess up the title from here, they have to lose seven games this season. They have not lost seven games in their last 100 in the Premier League.