Chelsea travel to the King Power Stadium on Wednesday night in the knowledge that they are just six points away from lifting their first Premier League crown since 2010.
A goalless draw against Arsenal has seemingly delayed the inevitable, although the Blues must first navigate their way past a Leicester City side high on confidence at this moment in time.
Leicester City
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Cast your minds back to this time last month, when Leicester had just lost 4-3 against Tottenham Hotspur in a thrilling encounter at White Hart Lane, and it is fair to say that even the most ardent of Foxes supporters would not have fancied their chances of avoiding the drop.
That defeat, inspired by a Harry Kane hat-trick, left the East Midlands outfit sitting seven points adrift of safety. Even taking their game in hand against Chelsea into consideration, Leicester had just nine matches remaining to pull off what appeared to be the impossible job.
Flash forward a month, and we are now in a position whereby Nigel Pearson's men are not only off the bottom of the table, but also a point clear of the drop zone. While others have stalled somewhat, Leicester have produced a miraculous turnaround to pick up four wins on the bounce.
A tweak of formation from Pearson - a man who was reportedly sacked and then reinstated earlier this year - has helped inspire a remarkable run of results which could potentially see the former Hull City boss named as the Premier League's Manager of the Year. If that is to happen then the Foxes must continue this run because, as Pearson himself admitted this week, there is still so much work to be done.
Beating Chelsea will push last season's Championship winners even further from danger and, with a nice set of fixtures to end the campaign with, you would not bet against the team who spent 140 days at the bottom of the division pulling off the greatest of great escapes.
Recent form: DLWWWW
Chelsea
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The celebrations led by captain John Terry on the Emirates Stadium pitch said it all about Chelsea's goalless draw against Arsenal. The Gunners were, realistically speaking, the only side capable of cutting down the Blues' lead at the top of the table, but a point merely pulls the leaders one step closer to the title they have looked like winning since day one.
Jose Mourinho knew exactly what was required to turn last season's also-rans into a title-winning machine, bringing in the likes of Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas to fill in the gaps that desperately needed plugging. Boasting the second best attack and the second best defensive record in the division goes a long way to showing just how efficient Chelsea have been this season on their way to the top.
Efficient being the key word there because, while the performance levels appear to have dropped off slightly since the turn of the year, the points are still being racked up at an impressive rate. Not since a 5-0 triumph over Swansea City have the West London club won a game by more than a single-goal margin, which highlights the ability Mourinho's sides have of simply getting the job done.
The tedious stalemate against Arsenal might not have been pretty, although the Portuguese boss hit back at those who accuse his teams of being boring in the best way imaginable after the Emirates drought, reminding his critics of a few key stats.
Two victories is now all that stands between Chelsea and the title, meaning that things could essentially be wrapped up at the top end of the Premier League before Arsenal and Manchester City next play again. Mourinho aired his frustration over the fact that this fixture, which was initially due to be played on February 28, had been moved so far back into the season due to League Cup exploits, but playing a game less than their nearest rivals has certainly not held the Blues back.
Recent form: DWWWWD
Team News
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Leicester boss Pearson revealed following his side's latest win, a dramatic 1-0 success against fellow strugglers Burnley at Turf Moor, that he could field what would essentially be a weakened side for the visit of Chelsea.
That decision may be taken with a view to looking ahead to the more winnable fixtures to come in the next few weeks, including a final-day showdown against Queens Park Rangers, meaning that certain key players are left out of the squad entirely.
Jeffrey Schlupp missed the victory over the Clarets due to injury, while the calf strain sustained in the warm-up against Swansea has kept David Nugent out of his side's last couple of games. Neither are expected to return for Wednesday night's game, while Jamie Vardy is also a doubt, having been given an injection to help him through the pain barrier against Burnley.
Scoring goals is something which has drastically improved in recent weeks for City, but their defensive record is also looking more stable now. Two clean sheets on the bounce is largely down to the heroics of Kasper Schmeichel between the sticks, and he will almost certainly need to be on top form in order to make it a third successive shutout against the Blues.
Chelsea will be able to call upon Oscar should they wish, meanwhile, after the Brazilian was passed fit to feature on the back of the concussion suffered in the London derby meeting with Arsenal. There could be some further movement in the team, but Eden Hazard, who was crowned PFA Player of the Year on Sunday night, will no doubt be handed a 34th Premier League start of the season.
Mourinho was half-forced into naming no recognised strikers last time out due to the prolonged absence of Costa and the recent injury picked up by Loic Remy. Didier Drogba was brought off the bench against Arsenal, and he could well feature from the off in midweek as Chelsea look to bounce back from just their second goalless game this term.
Leicester City possible starting lineup:
Schmeichel; De Laet, Huth, Morgan, Albrighton; King, James, Drinkwater, Konchesky, Wood; Kramaric
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Matic, Fabregas, Cuadrado, Willian, Hazard; Drogba
Head To Head
Chelsea have won their last five Premier League games against Leicester, including the reverse meeting earlier this season when they came out on top 2-0 winners at Stamford Bridge.
The Foxes head into the game looking to pick up a fifth successive victory in a single top-flight season for the first time since 1964, having picked up maximum points in their last four games to climb off the foot of the table and to relative safety.
Just eight goals have been scored in Leicester's last last six home matches, but the Blues will be confident that they can find a way through, after scoring 17 goals in their last five fixtures against their midweek opponents.
We say: Leicester City 0-1 Chelsea
Expect another efficient performance from Chelsea on their visit to the Midlands, as they continue to tick off the games on their way to a fourth Premier League title by securing a well-earned narrow victory at the King Power.
Daniel Lewis
