Tag: leicester city

Leicester vs. Man City, All Set for a Thrilling Clash

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

This Saturday sees Leicester welcoming Man City at the King Power. The Champions are in a tailspin of shocking form, seeing them currently at 16th, only four points off the bottom of the table. City comes into the game fresh from their Champions League draw with Celtic on Tuesday, and the bitter defeat to Chelsea last Saturday at the Etihad. Both teams will be desperate for 3 points from this game, and with City all scoring, all conceding machine, it seems like goals are on the menu.

City looking for a fight

City’s last game in the league was a feast of drama; a tight game with some fantastic performances was marred by some truly appalling tackles and an embarrassing brawl. Neutrals all over the country rustled their popcorn furiously as Chelsea made a clear statement of intent, putting the onus firmly on City in the fight for first place. City will need to come back strongly in the next few weeks to keep their London rivals opening up clear daylight at the top of the table. With the Champions League group stage cleared up, they will be fully focused on their Premier League fixtures.

Going into the game, the major concern for City is the suspension of arguably their two most important players, Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho. Aguero’s horror challenge on David Luiz has seen him pick up a four-match ban, with Kelechi Iheanacho being touted as a possible replacement. City will certainly suffer without his goal scoring pedigree. Fernandinho is the engine of this City squad, arguably the hardest worker on the pitch for the Blues, and a three-match ban for violent conduct will be almost as big a hole to fill as Aguero. On the bright side, they will be able to welcome Raheem Sterling back into the fold from a knee injury that has seen him out since the 26th of November. Guardiola has the option of bringing in Sterling, Leroy Sané or Nolito on Saturday. In terms of injuries, the Catalan will have to do without captain Vincent Kompany, knee ligaments, and Fabian Delph who is recovering from groin surgery. Nicolas Otamendi is also ruled out due to suspension.

Recent form, the Chelsea game aside, has been fairly solid. What is absolutely worth noting going into the Leicester game is that they have conceded in their last seven straight games in all competitions. City has been scoring and conceding with gusto, coupled with the absence of key defensive and midfield players, all the signs suggest a game with free-scoring potential.

The Champions fighting relegation

How the mighty are falling. Those brave pundits who questioned whether Leicester would be able to regain their superlative form from last season are quickly becoming vindicated. It is increasingly looking like Leicester have been found out; at one point in November they had more points in their Champions League group than in the Prem. Taking one point in the last three games has left some asking the unaskable: can Claudio Ranieri actually be sacked? Even with such great European form, qualifying top of their group with a game in hand, the question will have to be asked if the form doesn’t improve.

Looking at the last three league games, losing 2:1 away to both Sunderland and Watford, and just scraping a 2:2 draw at home to Boro, these are the teams Leicester would be turning over last season, and these are the teams they absolutely have to be beating if they want to stay clear of a relegation battle, alongside a European campaign. One clear difference between this and last season is the absence of goals from star striker Jamie Vardy. If he fails to score against City on Saturday, it will be 11 consecutive games without a goal for the 29-year-old, in a season where he’s only managed four shots on target. It’s not just Vardy falling short, PFA Player of the Year Riyad Mahrez hasn’t been the player he was, with only 3 goals and 1 assist in the league. The loss of N’Golo Kante is another key difference, a player excelling at his new club Chelsea, Leicester hasn’t found a replacement for the intensely hard working player. We wonder, perhaps, whether selling Vardy and keeping Kante might have been the more canny move. Ifs and buts.

Both teams to score

I cannot emphasise enough the BTTS potential of this game. While nothing is certain in football, the stats heavily favour this outcome. 78.6% of City’s games have been BTTS in the league so far this season, and Leicester with 71.4%, these teams are 1st and 4th in the BTTS table. Sun Bets have BTTS at 8/11, while not the best odds, a must have in any weekend acca. Man City to win and BTTS Yes at 11/5 is worth a large stake.

Porto vs. Leicester City: A Single Goal Could Win It

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Five games, four wins, one draw and no losses: when it comes to Champions League form this season, there’s only one club performing better than the Foxes, and that’s last season’s finalists, Atletico Madrid. Despite being 40/1 outsiders to lift the competition’s trophy with Sun Bets, City looks like a tough team to beat in Europe this season, and they can solidify this reputation further on December 7 when they take on Porto.

By now, Foxes fans and betting experts will know that following the odds is a bad idea when it comes to Leicester City. Last season’s 5,000/1 upset will live in the memories of bookmakers for many years to come, so it’s little surprise that they’re reluctant to go too long on Leicester this season. However, despite kerbing their pessimism and shortening their prices, the odds makers still can’t bring themselves to make City the favourites against Portugal’s finest.

Ranieri’s Men Doing Everything Wrong

Ahead of the match, Porto is the betting favourites with Sky Bet at 4/11. Despite sitting five points behind Leicester in Group G, Porto is the darlings of the betting world. Now, much of the antipathy towards Leicester could be down to their poor performance in the Premier League this season. Although mid-table mediocrity would have been fine for fans a few seasons ago, the title win in 2015/2016 has certainly raised expectations.

Unfortunately, Claudio Ranieri’s men haven’t been able to recreate that magic. In fact, following a shock 2-1 loss to Sunderland, Ranieri told the media that there is “everything wrong” with his side’s current form. Dropping to 15th in the Premier League and boasting the worst title defence stats in history, things aren’t looking good for Leicester at home and the bookies clearly feel this will spill over to the Champions League at some point.

One of the team’s biggest problems so far has been goals or, to put it another way, a lack of goals. When Leicester won the league, Jamie Vardy and his 24 goals made a huge contribution. This season, however, a clean sheet in 16 games has not only led some to brand him a flash in the pan, but it’s left Leicester City floundering. 17 for in the Premier isn’t good enough, despite performing better in the Champions League, they’ve still only scored seven.

Defence Standing Strong Despite Poor Form

Now, all clouds have a silver lining and for Leicester City in the Champions League, it’s been goals conceded. Although they might not be pinging in goals from all angles, Kasper Schmeichel has only had to pick the ball out of the net once. Of course, a wrist injury has kept the Danish player on the sidelines since early November, but the fact remains that City has been as strong as anyone defensively this season.

In fact, it’s because of their ability to shut down teams and stifle “superior” players that has allowed City to reach the top of their group. However, there comes a point when absorbing pressure from elite level teams becomes too much, and Porto could be the team to finally bust open the obvious cracks in Ranieri’s team.

Porto hasn’t lost in eight games and manager Nuno Espírito Santo looks to have found a way to bring the best out in the likes of keeper Iker Casillas and striker Andre Miguel Valente Silva. However, much like City, Porto haven’t exactly been prolific in front of goal. In fact, a 3-0 win over Arouca back in October is the most the team has scored in a single game over their last eight games.

Don’t Expect Goals Galore

On paper, this match looks as though it will be a war of attrition. With neither side prone to leaks at the back, goals will probably be scarce, which is why Sun Bets’ 11/1 on 0-0 looks to have some value. However, while it’s fair to expect a lack of goals, it’s also important to remember that City is on the back foot.

Poor performances in the Premier League sit in contrast to Porto’s recent unbeaten streak, and that could be the difference in this match. Yes, 9/1 on a Leicester win with Ladbrokes looks to be an attractive price given their Champions League form to date, but Porto clearly has the edge in terms of recent wins.

Perhaps the best value bets for this one are the scorecasts in favour of Porto. 1-0 (5/1) or 2/1 (8/1) with Sun Bets certainly look promising. But, if you’re really looking to cover all the bases, Sky Bets’ “Porto to win 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1” is possibly the pick of the bunch at 11/8.

Whichever way this match goes, the one thing we can be confident about is that there won’t be a glut of goals. Of course, the two teams could surprise us, but given their current strike rates, it’s fair to say that whoever comes away with a result is unlikely to do so by more than a single goal.

Leicester City v Club Brugge: Foxes To Finish The Job?

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

If you’ll forgive us for being a little smug for a moment, in our last preview of Leicester City’s maiden UEFA Champions League campaign we successfully called the 0-0 draw with FC Copenhagen that would propel the Foxes into the knockout round – and now we’re going for two from two as they entertain Club Brugge.

Essentially, much of what was written over a fortnight ago still stands going into Tuesday night’s game, as Claudio Ranieri’s men remain one of only two sides yet to concede a goal in this season’s competition and sit proudly atop Group G with an unbelievable haul of 10 points from their opening four European fixtures.

This remarkable run of form in what is Leicester’s first foray into Champions League football couldn’t be in starker contrast to their opponent’s own efforts in the group, with Michel Preud’Homme’s team failing to secure a single point thus far, and scoring just one solitary strike during their 2-1 home defeat to FC Porto.

Having meanwhile conceded 10 goals in this season’s Champions League, the only real surprise is that Club Brugge aren’t the worst team in this year’s competition – that dishonour goes to Dinamo Zagreb, who have not only failed to put any points on the board but are also yet to find the net in any of their four CL games.

Foxes In The Hen House

Having already thrashed the Belgians 3-0 in the reverse fixture, a home assignment against the second-worst team in the tournament should present no significant problems for Leicester, with the bookmakers seemingly inclined to agree as they label the home team heavy favourites. Indeed, no matter where you look, you’ll be hard-pushed to find odds longer than the 4/9 available at Sky Bet on a Leicester City win.

With the visitors meanwhile coming in at a prohibitive 8/1 with Betfair, it really does look to be something of a sporting mismatch; and any fears that Ranieri may opt to rest some of his star players now that Group G qualification is secured are easily allayed by the fact that a win will guarantee they finish top of the table.

That being said, given the odds-on quotes available on a comfortable home victory are unlikely to get any pulses racing, we will therefore, have to look elsewhere to find our value. One of the most obvious ways to do this is by backing the Half Time/Full Time betting markets, where you can get a much more attractive 6/5 with Coral on Leicester/Leicester or an even better 10/3 on Draw/Leicester courtesy of William Hill.

They Score When They Want

Given Leicester’s tag as favourites and their opposition’s obvious shortcomings in front of goal, it doesn’t seem a huge stretch to imagine that the home side will win the game to nil; an outcome that has bizarrely been priced at an odds-against quote of 13/10 by Coral. No, the question instead seems to be exactly how many goals the Foxes can rack up against a woeful Brugge side – with plenty of big scores providing value.

Naturally, having won by a single strike in two of their three victories so far, 1-0 to Leicester remains the bookies’ favourite winning margin at prices of 6/1 with Betfair and many others. Nevertheless, given the only time Leicester have scored more than one goal in a Champions League game was in their opening fixture against Club Brugge, punters might well be tempted by a repeat 3-0 scoreline at 9/1 with Betfair.

If they fancy the Foxes to go one better and run out 4-0 winners on the night, the odds jump to 18/1 with the same site, but that would merely be the icing on the cake in what should be an easy win for Leicester.

Champions League Preview: Will Leicester Continue Their European Adventure?

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

While Leicester City’s defence of their Premier League title can be described as stuttering at best, there’s no denying that the Foxes are flying in the UEFA Champions League.

Handed a relatively favourable group on their European debut, Claudio Ranieri’s men have taken to the competition like ducks to water and are remarkably one of only three teams to boast a 100% record after their opening trio of matches. As such, Leicester travels to the Danish capital on Wednesday knowing that even a point against FC Copenhagen will guarantee their progress into the round of 16.

That being said, the bookmakers certainly aren’t expecting an easy night for the visitors, with Copenhagen rated as 13/10 favourites and Leicester coming in slightly behind at 5/2 with Bet365. It is worth noting that Ståle Solbakken’s team are unbeaten at Telia Park this season and were also fairly unfortunate not to come away with something in the reverse fixture, so steaming into the away side may be foolhardy here.

Given Ranieri’s team are yet to concede a goal in this season’s Champions League, the 15/2 offered by Sky Bet on the game finishing 0-0 should perhaps be of more interest. Obviously the Italian will want to have qualification from Group G wrapped up on the night, but when an unstoppable force like Leicester’s perfect record meets an immovable object like Copenhagen’s home form, it is often best to back the stalemate.

Ronaldo To Run Riot

Things are unlikely to be so tentative over in Group F where Real Madrid make the trip to Poland to face a Legia Warsaw side that they thrashed 5-1 a fortnight ago. The hosts are without a point in the Champions League so far and have conceded a staggering 13 goals in their previous three matches, making Bet365’s quote of 28/1 on them causing an upset look anything but wide of the mark.

Despite his team’s comfortable victory, Cristiano Ronaldo cut a frustrated figure in the reverse fixture as he failed to find the net, but it certainly wasn’t for want of trying. The Portuguese fired nine attempts at goal – finding the target twice – and is unlikely to be in such a charitable mood as he closes in on a century of European strikes on Wednesday. Indeed, BetVictor has Madrid’s star man down at odds as short as 2/1 to score two or more goals in Warsaw, but it remains an attractive price given the host’s defensive woes.

While a best price of 1/8 from BetFred on Zinedine Zidane’s side emerging with all three points in the game is unlikely to get the blood pumping, the winning margin market may yet prove a more viable option. With Legia shipping six goals to Borussia Dortmund without response in their previous Champions League home fixture, you can get a decent price of 15/8 on the visitors winning by four goals or more with PaddyPower.

Do Or Die For Spurs

With Tottenham full-back Danny Rose describing his side’s upcoming games against Bayer Leverkusen and Arsenal as ones that could “make or break” Spurs’ season, Mauricio Pochettino will be eager to see his team send out the right message as they host the Germans at Wembley Stadium.

Unbeaten in the Premier League, it’s been a mixed bag of results for the North London side in Europe, with a loss, a win and a draw leaving them precariously placed in a tight Group E. Having failed to find the net more than once in any of their Champions League fixtures this season, it looks likely to be another nervy night for Spurs and Bet365 currently have them down at evens to secure victory with the visitors at 13/5.

Given Roger Schmidt’s side have been similarly shy in front of goal in the competition so far, the over/under market may be the way to go and 888sport are offering 29/10 that the game is decided by a single strike. Those wishing to boost their odds will find better value in William Hill’s 15/2 quote that the hosts win the game 1-0, but whichever way you cut it, it looks like anything but a comfortable evening for the home team.