Can Leicester cause a surprise?

The clash between Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspurs will conclude matchday 1 of England’s top division. The bookmakers are predicting a fairly one-sided match, because while the visitors will be playing for the international places again this season, the hosts are primarily concerned with staying in the league. As a result, the Leicester vs Tottenham odds clearly favor a win for the away team

Leicester City are no ordinary promoted team, however, as Steve Cooper’s team is exceptionally well-staffed with a squad worth over 200 million euros. In addition, the Foxes have played nine seasons in the English top flight over the past ten years, qualified for international competitions three times and even won a league title during this period. For this reason, the Leicester vs Tottenham betting odds are not that far apart

In our search for value, we have a rather interesting Leicester vs Tottenham betting tip in mind. We assume that the visiting team will score at least one goal in both legs of the match and get odds of up to 2.20. The reason for this is obvious, because even without a real nine, Spurs have been able to score an average of 1.95 goals per game. In addition, the visitors have found the back of the net 17 times in their last five matches against the Foxes.

The game kicks off at 9pm on Monday at the King Power Stadium in Leicester. The match can be watched live and in full at Wow or via live stream at Bet365.

Leicester – Statistics & current form

The Foxes are back in the English top flight after just one year away and want to establish themselves there as quickly as possible. With 97 points from 46 league games, the hosts were unstoppable last season and appear to be ready for the task. Steve Cooper’s team also crowned last season with the Championship title. Nevertheless, the home side lost eleven games and therefore almost twice as many games as fellow promoted side Ipswich.

Leicester City played five test matches during the summer break. The opening match was quite promising, as the newly promoted side at least managed to beat a Spanish first division team with a 2:1 win against Villarreal. However, things only got worse after that, as a laborious 2:1 win against Shrewsbury Town was followed by three defeats against Palermo, Augsburg and Lens. Steve Cooper’s team also failed to score in their last three pre-season games

One to watch

Abdul Fatawu Issahaku moved from Sporting Lisbon to FCLC for 17 million euros in the summer. Nevertheless, the Ghanaian winger is not really a new arrival, as the attacking player was already loaned out to the Foxes last season. The 20-year-old attacker made an immediate impact there, scoring 19 points in 41 games across all competitions. There were therefore several teams who wanted to “hijack” this deal and would have liked to secure the Ghanaian’s services.

With 89 goals in 46 league games (average 1.93), the home side had one of the best offenses in the English second division last season. In fact, Ipswich Town were the only team to find the back of the net more often. The Foxes also missed more big chances than any other team and could have been much more successful. In addition, the leather also kissed the opponent’s aluminum 22 times

Good defensive work

In addition to the offense, the Foxes’ defense was also convincing. Leicester conceded just 41 goals in 46 games (Ø 0.89), making them the best defense in the Championship. In addition, Steve Cooper’s team kept a clean sheet 15 times, keeping a clean sheet in just under 33% of games. In the coming season, the home side will of course not be able to match the statistics of the previous season, but they can still serve as an initial indicator for us.

Predicted Leicester line-up:

Tottenham – Statistics & current form

The Spurs finished last season in fifth place in England’s top flight and thus qualified for the Europa League. However, Ange Postecoglou’s team could not be entirely satisfied with this result, as the visiting team ended up just two points short of qualifying for the top flight. With five defeats in their last seven league games, Tottenham hit a slump in form at the worst possible time and surrendered fourth place.

Although Tottenham won four of their seven pre-season games, they were rarely convincing. In the two games against FC Bayern Munich in particular, Spurs were without a chance for long stretches and were well served with the narrow defeats. Moreover, Ange Postecoglou’s team only conceded once and even let Hearts of Midlothian FC score a goal. The mood ahead of the season opener is therefore not particularly euphoric

The million-dollar package

Dominic Solanke moved from AFC Bournemouth to Tottenham Hotspur a few days ago for a transfer fee of €64.3 million, making him one of the biggest transfers this summer. With bonus payments, the transfer fee could even rise to as much as 75 million euros. This sum naturally brings with it a lot of pressure, but with 23 scoring points in 41 games, the English center forward was by far the Cherries’ best player and therefore a reliable player.

With 74 goals in 38 league games (average 1.95), the visiting team’s offense is difficult to stop. Nevertheless, Spurs were “only” seventh in the league. Ange Postecoglou’s team lagged well behind Manchester City (96 goals) in particular. This was primarily due to the fact that Tottenham were without a real front nine following the departure of Harry Kane. The signing of Dominic Solanke could therefore significantly improve the scoring rate again

A little too vulnerable

In the battle for the international places in particular, the visitors should step up a gear or two compared to the previous season. With 61 goals conceded in 38 games (average 1.65), Spurs were simply too weak to even begin to keep up with the big three. In addition, Tottenham only kept a clean sheet seven times, conceding at least one goal in 82% of their league games. Due to a lack of defensive reinforcements, however, this figure is unlikely to change.

Predicted Tottenham line-up:

Leicester – Tottenham head-to-head comparison / H2H record

In a direct comparison, Spurs naturally have the edge. The visitors won 61 of the 120 duels and thus over 50% of the encounters. On the other hand, the Foxes only won 38 games, or 32% of their matches. One thing stands out even more, however, as a total of 28 goals have been scored in the last five meetings, which equates to 5.6 goals per game. That’s why our prediction between Leicester and Tottenham also points towards a goal bet

Leicester – Tottenham betting tip

We deliberately distance ourselves from a win bet on the first matchday of the new season and therefore recommend a “both teams to score – yes” bet between Leicester and Tottenham. Of course, Spurs should be superior in terms of play, but Ange Postecoglou’s team has always had problems away from home. We also expect the newly promoted side to put in a brave performance at home, as they definitely have the quality to compete in the Premier League