Is Norwich the rebuilding opponent the Foxes need?
Lately, almost everything for Leicester City has been focused on the UEFA Conference League, where the Foxes could have won their first international title just a year after winning the FA Cup for the first time. Alongside their semi-final exit to AS Roma, Brendan Rodgers’ men went winless in five successive league games (two draws, three defeats).
The Foxes are now only 14th in the table, but welcome the Canaries, a team whose relegation is already sealed. The Yellows have won only two of their 17 away games so far. In the run-up to the clash between Leicester and Norwich, the odds are clearly in favour of the home side.
It is true that Leicester recently suffered a 2-1 home defeat even against Everton FC, who were in poor form away from home. Nevertheless, the Conference League exit should now be digested, which should end the dry spell against the bottom line uncompetitive Canaries.
Even an away goal from the offensively ineffective Yellows is unlikely. We therefore recommend betting on a nil win for the Foxes in the Leicester v Norwich match.
Leicester – Statistics & current form
Leicester City have had a turbulent but also highly successful few years. The Foxes, who played in the third division in 2008/09 and only returned to the Premier League in the summer of 2014, surprisingly won the English Championship in the 2015/16 season.
Last year, the team from the English East Midlands was able to build on this coup and win the FA Cup for the first time in the club’s history. It is therefore all the more disappointing for the Foxes that the 2021/22 season will not bring another entry in the history books.
Only two points from a possible 15 from the last five games
Also clear, moreover, that there will be no European competition for the Foxes in the 2022/23 season.
After Leicester never finished higher than eighth in the table at any point during the 2021/22 season, attention shifted to the Conference League in recent months. The overall victory there would also have meant the right to enter the Europa League group stage in 2022/23.
The situation is all the more sobering after the semi-final exit against AS Roma. Because there has been a lot of rotation in the Premier League of late, which has resulted in only two points out of a possible 15 from the last five games, the team is now only in 14th place in the table.
Winless in seven consecutive competitive games
Even relegation is still mathematically possible – although not very likely. In view of the fact that the drought has now grown to seven consecutive games without a win (three draws, four defeats), it is nevertheless essential that Rodgers’ team quickly gets its act together again.
Last-place Norwich actually comes in handy as a rebuilding opponent. Of the three Premier League home games against the Canaries so far, the Foxes have not lost a single game and have only conceded one goal. A lot of value is therefore offered by betting on the next win for the East Midlands outfit against Norwich.
Predicted Leicester line-up:
Schmeichel – Castagne – Evans – Fofana – Pereira – Dewsbury-Hill – Tielemans – Maddison – Lookman – Albrighton – Vardy
Last matches played by Leicester:
Premier League
08/05/2022 – Leicester 1 – 2 Everton
European Conference League Final Stage
06/05/2022 – AS Roma 1 – 0 Leicester
Premier League
01/05/2022 – Tottenham 3 – 1 Leicester
European Conference League Final Stage
29/04/2022 – Leicester 1 – 1 AS Roma
Premier League
23/04/2022 – Leicester 0 – 0 Aston Villa
Norwich – Statistics & current form
Once again this year, Norwich City have lived up to their reputation as a lift team. The Canaries were promoted to the Premier League as champions of the EFL Championship after an impressive season in which they won 29 of their 46 league games.
Once again, however, the players from the east of England were unable to hold their own in the Premier League. As in the last two seasons in 2015/16 and 2019/20, the Yellows have to accept relegation to the second division posthaste.
Won only two of 17 Premier League away games
There are three reasons why Norwich have been relegated early on. Firstly: The offensive is simply far too harmless. In no less than 20 of their 35 Premier League games so far, the Canaries have not scored a goal of their own.
Secondly, the Yellows have only managed to win away from home at fellow promotion hopefuls Brentford and Watford. In the other 15 away games so far, Norwich have picked up only three points out of a possible 45. And thirdly, with 75 goals already conceded, the East Lander are also the league’s top scorers.
Only 22 goals from their 35 league games
Accordingly, the underdog role with which the Canaries come to the East Midlands is clear.
With a view to the already low offensive penetration, of which the just 22 goals from 35 league games is testimony, the away goal at the King Power Stadium is therefore already not too likely.
Predicted line-up of Norwich:
Krul – Williams – Byram – Hanley – Aarons – Sörensen – Gilmour – Rashica – Lees-Melou – Dowell – Pukki
Last matches played by Norwich:
Premier League
08/05/2022 – Norwich 0 – 4 West Ham
30/04/2022 – Aston Villa 2 – 0 Norwich
23/04/2022 – Norwich 0 – 3 Newcastle United
16/04/2022 – Manchester United 3 – 2 Norwich
10/04/2022 – Norwich 2 – 0 Burnley
Leicester – Norwich Direct comparison / H2H record
Head to head: 24 – 13 – 22
There have been a total of 59 meetings between the two teams so far and with 24 wins, Leicester City lead the direct comparison by a narrow margin. The Foxes also won 2-1 at the Canaries in the first leg of the tie.
Leicester – Norwich Tip
When it comes to Leicester against Norwich, the prediction is clearly against the Yellows, who stand out negatively in practically all performance-related data. No other team in the Premier League has won so rarely away from home (only twice), scored so few goals (only 22) and conceded so many (75). The underdog role of the bottom team, whose relegation is already sealed, is correspondingly clear.
Although it has to be said that the Foxes haven’t covered themselves in glory either, going winless in seven games and dropping to 14th place in the Premier League. Nevertheless, there is a lot of value in betting on a win for Rodgers’s team
