Leicester City vs Tottenham Hotspur
Leicester City are up for a big challenge in their first match back in the Premier League, as they’ll take on a revamped Tottenham team on Monday at the King Power Stadium.
The Foxes are back after spending one year in the Championship following their embarrassing relegation in 2022-23, so they’re planning to maintain their top-flight status for as long as possible this time.
As for Tottenham, they’re entering Year 2 of the Ange Postecoglou era.
This year is about building consistency to potentially challenge for trophies after they’ve shown glimpses of what they could become at the start of last season but faltered in the end.
Which team do you think will come out on top this weekend? Continue reading below for today’s SBOTOP match preview.
Talking Points
Leicester City’s starting XI is compromised
Leicester City boss Steve Cooper is facing a lineup dilemma against the Spurs because he will likely miss three starters in his rotation.
Jamie Vardy, Conor Coady, and Patson Daka are all sidelined due to injuries. Daka sustained an ankle injury in their final pre-season game against RC Lens last Saturday, and he will be out for a few months after undergoing surgery.
Losing Daka, in particular, is a huge blow for the Foxes since he was one of their most productive players last term, with seven goals and five assists in all competitions, behind Stephy Mavididi and Jamie Vardy.
With the Zambian absent, new signing Bobby Decordova-Reid will take over his spot in the starting XI alongside Stephy Mavididi and Abdul Fatawu in the final third.
Wilfred Ndidi, Harry Winks, and Hamza Choudhury will all have to step up in midfield since the club sold Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to Chelsea for £30 million last month. Dewsbury-Hall was a big reason why the Foxes are back in the English top-flight, having recorded 12 goals and 15 assists in all competitions last season.
The club also lost Kelechi Iheanacho to La Liga side Sevilla, but in return, they were able to secure the services of Facundo Buonanotte on loan from Brighton. The 19-year-old had four goals and one assist for the Seagulls last season.
Solanke may not be the only one to make his Spurs debut
Dominic Solanke is not the only Spurs debutant to watch for this weekend since Wilson Odobert might also make his debut against Leicester City.
Tottenham paid £25 million to acquire Wilson Odobert from Burnley, signing him to a long-term contract until 2029.
Because he played (and even scored a goal) for Burnley on Tuesday, Ange Postecoglou shouldn’t worry about his match fitness and readiness ahead of the Leicester City match, although he will likely come off the bench.
Postecoglou will likely have Dejan Kulusevski and Heung-Min Son alongside Dominic Solanke in the final third.
In other team news, Yves Bissouma is suspended against Leicester City for his laughing gas incident. Summer signings Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall have a shot of taking Bissouma’s spot in the middle of the park.
History
Leicester City whacked the Spurs in their last Premier League meeting in February 2023, winning by a score of 4-1. In the reverse fixture, the Spurs won 6-2 in North London.
If the Foxes beat the Spurs on Monday, they will have won consecutive league games against them for the first time since a three-game winning streak in 1999.
Tottenham have only failed to score in one of their 17 Premier League road matches against Leicester City, which was a 3-0 defeat in September 1997.
Leicester City are undefeated in their last nine league openers at home (W6, D3). However, Tottenham have won five of their previous six encounters against a newly promoted side, with the only loss being a 1-0 result against Sunderland in 2007-08.
Betting Tip
The Premier League 2024 odds are in favour of the visitors on Monday, as Tottenham are 1.53 favourites while Leicester City are 4.84 underdogs, and a draw is at 4.12 in the 1X2 market.
The Spurs are likely to create more Premier League 2024 highlights than the Foxes on Monday, hence our recommended bet above. On the other hand, you may also go for bets like Total Goal 2-3 at 2.07 and Over 2.75 at 1.65 as alternatives.
Meanwhile, if you fancy Leicester City’s chances of winning, then check out the Correct Score of 1-0 in their favour at 19.00, while a Correct Score of 4-1 – the result of their most recent Premier League matchup – has a whopping 185.00 offer.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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