Antonio Conte will hope his Chelsea players have got over the disappointment of their 13-match Premier League run ending and beat Leicester to strengthen their grip on the title race.
But Chelsea will miss the services of its top scorer Diego Costa after reports emerged in England of fall out between Conte and the striker, > with the Spaniard now being axed from the squad amid rumours of a move to China.
Saturday's visit to the King Power Stadium for a meeting with last season's champion marks Chelsea's first league action since the 2-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur that ended its winning streak.
Despite that it still has a comfortable-looking five-point cushion on nearest challenger Liverpool.
Conte had reason to be satisfied with the reaction of his players when they eased past third-tier Peterborough United to secure a place in the FA Cup fourth round.
But having seen his side give its rivals hope that the gap can be closed the Italian taskmaster will be well aware of the impact of dropping more points.
Spanish forward Pedro Rodriguez endured a difficult first season at Chelsea but this campaign he has flourished and he believes the Spurs result is behind them.
"Against Spurs it was a different game," said Pedro. "We lost, but no problem, we just continue taking it game by game.
"Next we face Leicester, a very difficult team, but we will prepare all week and go for the win."
The Blues comfortably beat Leicester in the first meeting between the two teams earlier this season and face Claudio Ranieri's team refreshed following last week's cup clash.
Conte made nine changes to his side for the Peterborough game, keeping Eden Hazard on the bench as unused substitutes while N'Golo Kante will face his former club having played just 17 minutes against Peterborough.
But according to Frenchman Kante left Leicester for £30 million ($37 million, 34 million euros) in the summer having played a key role in its fairytale title win.
He is set to start against his former team-mates this weekend and Ranieri wants the Leicester fans to give the midfield international a good reception.
Ranieri -- named world coach of the year on Monday -- could dearly do with Kante as his side are struggling just six points above the relegation places.
"Of course I tried to keep him with all my strength," said Ranieri. "I am not surprised how well he has done at Chelsea. He's a very good player."
The Italian holds no grudges. "It's normal that a young boy who comes from France and wins the title goes to a big team," Ranieri said.
"It's human. He was our battery, with N'Golo we played with 12 players."
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