N'Golo Kante v Willian: The key battle in Leicester v Chelsea

The battle between N'Golo Kante and Willian will be crucial when Premier League leaders Leicester City host Chelsea on Monday Night Football.

Kante has been nothing short of a revelation this season. His consistent performances and never-say-die attitude have made him one of the signings of the summer.

The 24-year-old Frenchman was bought for £5.6m from Caen in August and was Claudio Ranieri's first signing after taking over at Leicester.

The hard-working central midfielder has featured in every one of Leicester's Premier League game so far this season, and in the last 10 games only five players in the entire division have covered more ground.

The 5ft 6in dynamo may come up short in stature but he certainly doesn't in the stats. He's made more interceptions than any other Premier League player this season and ranks third in tackles won.

It's a continuation of Kante's outstanding form for Caen last season, when he attempted the most tackles (178) and won possession the most times (146) in Ligue 1.

Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez have taken all the headlines for Leicester's electric start to the season, but Kante's influence alongside central midfield partner Danny Drinkwater cannot be underestimated.

His next task will be to disrupt and break up Chelsea's attacking moves, which have been led by the in-form Willian this season.

Willian has arguably been the Blues' most effective player in 2015-16. The 27-year-old Brazilian is their top scorer with seven goals in all competitions - six of which have come from direct free-kicks - and this is already his highest-scoring season at Chelsea.

His six free-kick goals have come from 11 attempts in the Premier League and Champions League, giving him an impressive 55 per cent conversion rate. He has scored four from five attempts in Europe and two from six efforts in the league.

In total, 20 per cent of Chelsea's Premier League and Champions League goals have come from his right-footed free-kicks. It represents a considerable improvement from Willian, who failed to score from five free-kick attempts in the last campaign.

Willian has already equalled the Champions League record for number of goals scored from a set-piece in a season, which was held by fellow Brazilian Juninho Pernambucano for Lyon in 2005-06.

But Willian has not simply contributed with free kicks this season, he's also created 38 chances in the Premier League - second only to Eden Hazard at Chelsea. Willian has also put in the most crosses and corners for the Blues in league games with 100.

Kante, meanwhile, has provided the defensive springboard for Leicester's devastating counter-attacking breaks this season with his perfectly-timed tackles and interceptions.

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His defensive work - and that of his Leicester team-mates - will need to be especially disciplined on Monday night. Otherwise, needless fouls around the Leicester box will lead to the kind of dead-ball opportunities from which Willian has been so deadly.

Willian's free-kick expertise is further emphasised by the fact that only six players in the top five major European leagues have scored more than one goal from a direct free-kick this season.

Cristiano Ronaldo, for example, has scored one free kick from 24 attempts this season, and he has scored only three goals in his last 79 set-piece attempts in La Liga and Champions League games.

Willian is unrivalled in that regard. Kante and Leicester will need to be vigilant.

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