Should Tottenham lose at Newcastle United and third-place Arsenal fail to beat Aston Villa, a Leicester victory will give them a winning margin of 13 points – the joint-second-biggest gap since three points for a win was introduced in 1981.
Jamie Vardy, meanwhile, trails Tottenham’s Harry Kane by just one goal in the race for the Golden Boot, having taken his tally to 24 with a brace in the 3-1 win over Everton last weekend that preceded Leicester’s trophy presentation.
As well as saying hello again to Ranieri, Chelsea’s fans will bid farewell for a second time to interim manager Guus Hiddink, who has managed to steady the ship since succeeding Mourinho in December, as he did during a previous stint in 2009.
Sunday’s game was also expected to be a swansong for legendary captain Terry, who announced in January that he would be leaving at the end of the season, only for Chelsea to reveal on Friday that he has been offered a one-year contract extension.
Terry, who is said to be considering the offer amid interest from two Chinese clubs, is suspended for Leicester’s visit, but the 35-year-old is expected to take part in what could yet be a poignant post-match lap of honour.
Reflecting on his return to the club, Hiddink said: “In general I’m happy with this last half-year. I did it with a lot of joy.
“For Chelsea standards it has been a season with deception (disappointment). We managed to come back and we’re happy to, but it’s not enough for Chelsea standards.”
Chelsea, who can finish no higher than ninth, remain without injured striker Diego Costa, but goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is available again after illness.
Midfielder Danny Drinkwater is back from suspension for Leicester, but centre-back Robert Huth, formerly of Chelsea, will be serving the second match of his three-game ban.
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